Name: Paracoccus denitrificans (Beijerinck and Minkman 1910) Davis 1969 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: "Micrococcus denitrificans" Beijerinck and Minkman 1910

Etymology: de.ni.tri’fi.cans. L. prep. de, away from; N.L. v. denitrifico, to denitrify; N.L. part. adj. denitrificans, denitrifying

Gender: masculine

Type strain: ATCC 17741; DSM 413; JCM 21484; LMD 22.21; NBRC 102528; NCCB 22021

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: Y16927 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Davis DH, Doudoroff M, Stanier RY, Mandel M. Proposal to reject the genus Hydrogenomonas: taxonomic implications. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1969; 19:375-390.

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
    "Micrococcus denitrificans" Beijerinck and Minkman 1910	homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists

• Emendations:
  • Nokhal and Schlegel 1983 Nokhal TH, Schlegel HG. Taxonomic study of Paracoccus denitrificans. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1983; 33:26-37.
  • Ludwig et al. 1993 Ludwig W, Mittenhuber G, Friedrich CG. Transfer of Thiosphaera pantotropha to Paracoccus denitrificans. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1993; 43:363-367. Anonymous. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 43, part 2 of the IJSB. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1993; 43:625.
    Notes:
    • Emendation accompanied by a proposal regarding the synonymy of the species.
  • Rainey et al. 1999 Rainey FA, Kelly DP, Stackebrandt E, Burghardt J, Hiraishi A, Katayama Y, Wood AP. A re-evaluation of the taxonomy of Paracoccus denitrificans and a proposal for the combination Paracoccus pantotrophus comb. nov. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1999; 49:645-651. Anonymous. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 49, part 2 of the IJSB. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1999; 49:937-939.
    Notes:
    • Emendation accompanied by a proposal regarding the synonymy of the species.
    • The e-mail address of the corresponding author given in the associated publication is not functional any more.
    • Comparison of both 16S rRNA coding sequences and DNA-DNA hybridization of ten strains classified as strains of Paracoccus denitrificans (Beijerinck and Minkman 1910) Davis 1969 (Approved Lists 1980) emend. Ludwig et al. 1993 has shown that they fall into two groups which are distinct from each other at the species level. One group (group A) comprises the type strain of Paracoccus denitrificans (ATCC 17741). Group B comprises the strain ATCC 35512 (the original type strain of Thiosphaera pantotropha Robertson and Kuenen 1984). In light of these findings, Rainey et al. 1999 propose that (i) strains of group A are retained as Paracoccus denitrificans, with strain ATCC 17741 NCCB 22021 (formerly LMD 22.21) DSM 413 as the type strain; and (ii) all strains of group B are assigned to the new combination Paracoccus pantotrophus (Robertson and Kuenen 1984) Rainey et al. 1999 with strain ATCC 35512 DSM 2944 NCCB 82005 (formerly LMD 82.5) as the type strain. The emendation of the species description by Ludwig et al. 1993 [Paracoccus denitrificans (Beijerinck and Minkman 1910) Davis 1969 (Approved Lists 1980) emend. Ludwig et al. 1993] must now be deleted.
    • In the chapter Paracoccus of the second edition of Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, the entry for Paracoccus denitrificans cites the type strain as being represented by ATCC 17741, DSM 65, DSM 413, LMD 22.21 and LMG 4218. Of these, DSM 65 and LMG 4218 are strains of Paracoccus pantotrophus. Moreover, LMD 22.21 is now known as NCCB 22021.
  • Hördt et al. 2020 Hordt A, Lopez MG, Meier-Kolthoff JP, Schleuning M, Weinhold LM, Tindall BJ, Gronow S, Kyrpides NC, Woyke T, Goker M. Analysis of 1,000+ Type-Strain Genomes Substantially Improves Taxonomic Classification of Alphaproteobacteria. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:468. Oren A, Garrity GM. List of changes in taxonomic opinion no. 32. Notification of changes in taxonomic opinion previously published outside the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2020; 70:4061-4090.

• Notes:
  • Nomenclatural type of the genus Paracoccus Davis 1969 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Davis DH, Doudoroff M, Stanier RY, Mandel M. Proposal to reject the genus Hydrogenomonas: taxonomic implications. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1969; 19:375-390.
  • According to Ludwig et al. (1993), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Paracoccus pantotrophus (Robertson and Kuenen 1984) Rainey et al. 1999. Publication: Ludwig W, Mittenhuber G, Friedrich CG. Transfer of Thiosphaera pantotropha to Paracoccus denitrificans. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1993; 43:363-367.
  • According to Ludwig et al. (1993), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Thiosphaera pantotropha Robertson and Kuenen 1984. Publication: Ludwig W, Mittenhuber G, Friedrich CG. Transfer of Thiosphaera pantotropha to Paracoccus denitrificans. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1993; 43:363-367.
  • According to Rainey et al. (1999), this species is not an earlier heterotypic synonym of Paracoccus pantotrophus (Robertson and Kuenen 1984) Rainey et al. 1999. Publication: Rainey FA, Kelly DP, Stackebrandt E, Burghardt J, Hiraishi A, Katayama Y, Wood AP. A re-evaluation of the taxonomy of Paracoccus denitrificans and a proposal for the combination Paracoccus pantotrophus comb. nov. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1999; 49:645-651.
  • According to Rainey et al. (1999), this species is not an earlier heterotypic synonym of Thiosphaera pantotropha Robertson and Kuenen 1984. Publication: Rainey FA, Kelly DP, Stackebrandt E, Burghardt J, Hiraishi A, Katayama Y, Wood AP. A re-evaluation of the taxonomy of Paracoccus denitrificans and a proposal for the combination Paracoccus pantotrophus comb. nov. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1999; 49:645-651.
  • The authority of the taxon name (Davis) deliberately differs from the authors of the publication (Davis et al.).
  • In the Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology seventh edition, in the Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology eight edition, and in the Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology first edition, the synonym "Micrococcus denitrificans" is cited as "Micrococcus denitrificans" Beijerinck 1910 (not Beijerinck and Minkman 1910). Publication: Waksman SA, Henrici AT. Family III. Streptomycetaceae. In: Breed RS, Murray EGD, A.p (eds), HITCHENS (eds). Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 6th ed, The Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1948, p. 929-980.

Parent taxon: Paracoccus Davis 1969 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Davis DH, Doudoroff M, Stanier RY, Mandel M. Proposal to reject the genus Hydrogenomonas: taxonomic implications. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1969; 19:375-390.

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Record number: 779156