Name: Sphingobium japonicum Pal et al. 2005

Category: Species

Proposed as: sp. nov.

Etymology: ja.po’ni.cum. N.L. neut. adj. japonicum, pertaining to Japan, from where the type strain was isolated

Pronunciation, gender: ja-PO-ni-kum, neuter

Type strain: CCM 7287; DSM 16413; MTCC 6362; UT26; UT26S

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: AF039168 Analyse FASTA

Valid publication: Pal R, Bala S, Dadhwal M, Kumar M, Dhingra G, Prakash O, Prabagaran SR, Shivaji S, Cullum J, Holliger C, et al. Hexachlorocyclohexane-degrading bacterial strains Sphingomonas paucimobilis B90A, UT26 and Sp+, having similar lin genes, represent three distinct species, Sphingobium indicum sp. nov., Sphingobium japonicum sp. nov. and Sphingobium francense sp. nov., and reclassification of [Sphingomonas] chungbukensis as Sphingobium chungbukense comb. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2005; 55:1965-1972.

IJSEM list: Euzeby JP. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 55, part 5 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2006; 56:7-9.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

Taxonomic status: synonym (and not recommended for medical use)

Correct name: Sphingobium indicum Pal et al. 2005

Risk group: 1

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Sphingobium lucknowense Garg et al. 2012	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    Sphingobium indicum Pal et al. 2005	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    Sphingobium francense Pal et al. 2005	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    Sphingobium chinhatense Dadhwal et al. 2009	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP

• Notes:
  • ⏲ According to Feng et al. (2019), this species is a later heterotypic synonym of Sphingobium indicum Pal et al. 2005. Publication: Feng GD, Chen MB, Zhang XJ, Wang DD, Zhu HH. Whole genome sequences reveal the presence of 11 heterotypic synonyms in the genus Sphingobium and emended descriptions of Sphingobium indicum, Sphingobium fuliginis, Sphingobium xenophagum and Sphingobium cupriresistens. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2019; 69:2161-2165.
  • 🏢 Synonymy of this taxon was mentioned in an IJSEM list. Publication: Oren A, Garrity GM. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 69, part 7 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2019; 69:2963-2965.
  • 😢 The terminology used by the authors is in line with many other taxonomic studies and does not negatively affect their main results; some improvements may nevertheless be possible. The usage of the term "coherent taxon" (or equivalent) is cautioned against. Whether taxa can have "members" is debatable. See the LPSN phylogeny page for details. Publication: Göker M. What can genome analysis offer for bacteria? In: Bridge P, Smith D, Stackebrandt E (eds), Trends in the systematics of bacteria and fungi, CAB International, Wallingford, 2021, p. 255-281.
  • ❗ Sphingobium japonicum is the correct name instead if this species is regarded as a separate species (i.e., if its nomenclatural type is not assigned to another species whose name is validly published, legitimate and not rejected and has priority) within a separate genus Sphingobium.
  • 😷 The risk group for Germany has been imported on 2023-10-29. The full classification is: risk group = 1. — If in doubt, use the risk group given in the regulations for your country and, if these are not available, use the risk group given in the catalogue of the culture collection from which you have obtained or intend to obtain the strain.
  • 🎓 Name mentioned 46 times in PubMed until 2025-06-04.
  • 🙅 This name is on the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance (LoRN) as a synonym of the name to be applied to this species. The name is on LoRN because of the recorded risk group of other species in the genus.

Parent taxon: Sphingobium Takeuchi et al. 2001

Assigned by: Pal R, Bala S, Dadhwal M, Kumar M, Dhingra G, Prakash O, Prabagaran SR, Shivaji S, Cullum J, Holliger C, et al. Hexachlorocyclohexane-degrading bacterial strains Sphingomonas paucimobilis B90A, UT26 and Sp+, having similar lin genes, represent three distinct species, Sphingobium indicum sp. nov., Sphingobium japonicum sp. nov. and Sphingobium francense sp. nov., and reclassification of [Sphingomonas] chungbukensis as Sphingobium chungbukense comb. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2005; 55:1965-1972.

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Record number: 780989