Name: Melittangium lichenicola (Thaxter 1892) McCurdy 1971 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: "Chondromyces lichenicolus" Thaxter 1892

Etymology: li.che.ni’co.la. L. masc. n. lichen, lichen; L. masc./fem. n. suff. -cola, inhabitant, dweller; from L. masc./fem. n. incola, dweller; N.L. masc./fem. n. lichenicola, inhabitant of lichens (nominative in apposition)

Gender: neuter

Type strain: ATCC 25946; DSM 2275; Windsor M201

See detailed strain information at

16S rRNA gene: GU207877 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: McCurdy HD. Studies on the taxonomy of the Myxobacterales. IV. Melittangium. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1971; 21:50-54.

IJSEM list: Skerman VBD, McGowan V, Sneath PHA. Approved lists of bacterial names. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1980; 30:225-420.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

Taxonomic status: correct name

Risk group: 1

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    "Chondromyces lichenicolus" Thaxter 1892	homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists

• Notes:
  • According to Ludwig et al. (2021), this "species affiliates away from the type species of its genus and may be reclassified as a member of Corallococcus". Publication: Ludwig W, Viver T, Westram R, Francisco Gago J, Bustos-Caparros E, Knittel K, Amann R, Rossello-Mora R. Release LTP_12_2020, featuring a new ARB alignment and improved 16S rRNA tree for prokaryotic type strains. Syst Appl Microbiol 2021; 44:126218.
  • The ATCC Website [3] also cites ATCC 25944 as the type of this taxon, see ATCC Number 25944 in ATCC. Publication: Euzeby JP. List of Bacterial Names with Standing in Nomenclature: a folder available on the Internet. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1997; 47:590-592.
  • According to Lang and Spröer 2009 [6], the strain ATCC 25944 and its derivative DSM 2275 are not members of the genus Melittangium but of the Myxococcus–Corallococcus clade. Since the morphology of strain ATCC 25496 is characteristic for Melittangium lichenicola and the rRNA gene sequences represented by GenBank accession numbers AM930269 and AM930267 cluster with other sequences derived from Melittangium strains, it is inferred that these sequences are the correct ones for ATCC 25946 and that strain ATCC 25946 (= DSM 14877) is a representative of the species Melittangium lichenicola. For these reasons, Lang and Spröer 2009 [6] request an Opinion to the effect that ATCC 25944 be disapproved as the type strain of Melittangium lichenicola and be replaced by strain ATCC 25946 (= DSM 14877), which was suggested as a reference strain for this species by McCurdy 1971[1]. This was approved in Opinion 101. See also DSM 2275 - Melittangium lichenicola (Bacteria) and DSM 14877 -Melittangium lichenicola in DSMZ Microorganisms. Publication: Lang E, Sproer C. Replacement of ATCC 25944T, the current type strain of Melittangium lichenicola, with ATCC 25946. Request for an opinion. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2008; 58:2991-2992.
  • According to the DSMZ [4] and to Spröer et al.[5], the strain M201 = ATCC 25946 = DSM 14877 = NBRC 100091 is the neotype of Melittangium lichenicola. However, any neotype strain has been proposed in the IJSB/IJSEM (see, Rule 18c)! See also ATCC Number 25944 in ATCC. Publication: Sproer C, Reichenbach H, Stackebrandt E. The correlation between morphological and phylogenetic classification of myxobacteria. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1999; 49:1255-1262.
  • According to the DSMZ Website, the strain M155 ATCC 25944 DSM 2275 is most probably a strain of "Corallococcus sp.", see DSM 2275 - Melittangium lichenicola (Bacteria) and DSM 14877 -Melittangium lichenicola in DSMZ Microorganisms. Publication: Reichenbach H. Genus II. Corallococcus gen. nov. (Chondrococcus Jahn 1924, 85). In: Brenner DJ, Krieg NR, Staley JT, Garrity GM (eds), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, second edition, vol. 2 (The Proteobacteria), part C (The Alpha-, Beta-, Delta-, and Epsilonproteobacteria), Springer, New York, 2005, p. 1079-1082.
  • However, in 1980, the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names [2] cited the strain ATCC 25944 (also known as M155 = DSM 2275) as the type strain. Publication: Skerman VBD, McGowan V, Sneath PHA. Approved lists of bacterial names. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1980; 30:225-420.
  • In 1971, McCurdy cited Acc Nos 4500 and 5170, Thaxter Collection, Farlow Herbarium as the type material of Melittangium lichenicola [1]. Publication: McCurdy HD. Studies on the taxonomy of the Myxobacterales. IV. Melittangium. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1971; 21:50-54.

Parent taxon: Melittangium Jahn 1924 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: McCurdy HD. Studies on the taxonomy of the Myxobacterales. IV. Melittangium. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1971; 21:50-54.

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Record number: 777760