The use of Greek and Latin prepositions and prefixes in compound names: proposed emendation of Appendix 9 of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes.

Part A of Appendix 9 - Orthography of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes regulates the formation of compound generic names and specific epithets derived by combining two or more words or word elements of Latin and/or Greek origin, using the word stems and connecting vowels (-o- or -i-) following word elements derived from Greek and Latin, respectively. The rules given and the exceptions listed are suitable for substantives (nouns) and adjectives used as word elements, but not for prepositions and prefixes. Therefore, we propose a non-retroactive modification of Appendix 9 so that the guidelines given in Part A apply only to compound names that include a noun or an adjective in a non-final position.

'Red - the magic color for solar salt production' - but since when?

Dense communities of carotenoid-rich members of the Halobacteria (Euryarchaeota), the bacterium Salinibacter (Bacteroidetes) and the eukaryotic alga Dunaliella color the brines of most saltern crystallizer ponds red. The first report we found from the western world mentioning these red brines dates from 1765: the Encyclopédie of Diderot and coworkers. Earlier descriptions of solar salterns since Roman times do not mention red ponds.

Adrenal crises in children with adrenal insufficiency: epidemiology and risk factors.

The aim of the study was to assess the epidemiology and risk factors of adrenal crises (AC) in children with adrenal insufficiency (AI). Children diagnosed with AI between 1990 and 2017 at four Israeli pediatric endocrinology units were studied. Demographic and clinical data were retrieved retrospectively from their files.

Proposal to modify the Rules of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes to abolish the taxonomic categories Subfamily, Subtribe and Kingdom.

Although the taxonomic categories covered by the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes include the ranks of Subtribe (Subtribus) and Subfamily (Subfamilia), no names of taxa belonging to these ranks have been validly published. To simplify the Rules of the Code I propose abolishing these ranks. The rank of Kingdom is mentioned once in the Code, in an example to Rule 8, but it is not further defined.

Naming classes of prokaryotes based on the rules of Latin grammar.

Recently a proposal was published to unify Rules 7, 8 and 9 of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. Based on this proposal, all names of taxa above the rank of genus must be in the feminine gender, the plural number. For the rank of class, this proposal contravenes Principle 3 of the Code, which states that the scientific names of all taxa are treated as Latin.

Trophic Specialization Results in Genomic Reduction in Free-Living Marine Bacteria.

The streamlining hypothesis is generally used to explain the genomic reduction events related to the small genome size of free-living bacteria like marine bacteria SAR11. However, our current understanding of the correlation between bacterial genome size and environmental adaptation relies on too few species. It is still unclear whether there are other paths leading to genomic reduction in free-living bacteria.

Formation of compound generic names based on personal names: a proposal for emendation of Appendix 9 of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes.

Appendix 9, the orthography appendix of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes, provides guidelines for the correct formation of generic names and specific epithets to honour famous microbiologists and other persons connected with natural science. However, no guidelines are given for the correct formation of compound generic names in which the first word element is derived from a personal name. Currently there are 16 such names validly published under the Rules of the Code, but the ways they were formed are inconsistent.

Valid publication of the names Caecibacterium and Caecibacterium sporoformans.

Descriptions of the genus Caecibacterium and its proposed type species Caecibacterium sporoformans were published in the IJSEM by Onrust et al. (Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2017;67:4589-4594). The type strain was deposited as LMG 27730 and DSM 26959.

Request for revision of the Statutes of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes.

At the Valencia Plenary meeting on 7-9 July, 2017, the Working Group on the organization and structure of the ICSP recommended amendment of the Statutes of the ICSP (Dijkshoorn L. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2018; 68: 2104-2110). In October 2017, our Executive-Secretary, Lenie Dijkshoorn, sent out a call for participation in this working group, which began work in December, 2017.

Preparation of the Validation Lists and the role of the List Editors.

Recently a number of queries were received about the ways in which requests for validation of names of taxa effectively published in journals other than the IJSEM are approved or denied and about the criteria used by the List Editors of the journal when deciding whether or not a validation request can be approved. As this process may be unclear to some authors of proposals, we would like to clarify the nature of the validation process and the role of the List Editors.

A phylogenomic and molecular markers based taxonomic framework for members of the order Entomoplasmatales: proposal for an emended order Mycoplasmatales containing the family Spiroplasmataceae and emended family Mycoplasmataceae comprised of six genera.

The "Spiroplasma cluster" is a taxonomically heterogeneous assemblage within the phylum Tenericutes encompassing different Entomoplasmatales species as well as the genus Mycoplasma, type genus of the order Mycoplasmatales. Within this cluster, the family Entomoplasmataceae contains two non-cohesive genera Entomoplasma and Mesoplasma with their members exhibiting extensive polyphyletic branching; additionally, the genus Mycoplasma is also embedded within this family. Genome sequences are now available for all 19 Entomoplasmataceae species with validly published names, as well as 6 of the 7 species from the genus Mycoplasma.

Correction to: Phylogenetic framework for the phylum Tenericutes based on genome sequence data: proposal for the creation of a new order Mycoplasmoidales ord. nov., containing two new families Mycoplasmoidaceae fam. nov. and Metamycoplasmataceae fam. nov. harbouring Eperythrozoon, Ureaplasma and five novel genera.

In Tables 9, 10 and 11 of this paper, a few minor errors were noticed in the information for the type strains of the following new name combinations proposed in our paper.

Minwuia thermotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov., a marine bacterium forming a deep branch in the Alphaproteobacteria, and proposal of Minwuiaceae fam. nov. and Minwuiales ord. nov.

Two Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacteria, designated as SY3-15and SY3-13, were isolated from a seawater sample of the South China Sea. Colonies were 0.5-1.

Proposal to modify Rules 27 and 30(3)(b) of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes.

We propose to modify Rules 27 and 30(3)(b) of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes so that the formal description of new taxa (the 'protologue') will include a statement about the nomenclatural type, so that this information will be linked to the name of the taxon, the derivation (etymology) of the name, and the properties of the taxon.