Table 3 Relevant provisions of the ICNafp (Turland et al. 2018) and ICNP (Parker et al. 2019) regulating the designation and preservation of the nomenclatural type

Article 8.1

The type (holotype, lectotype, or neotype) of a name of a species or infraspecific taxon is either a single specimen conserved in one herbarium or other collection or institution, or a published or unpublished illustration (but see Art. 8.5; see also Art. 40.4, 40.5, and Art. 40 Ex. 6).

Article 8.2

For the purpose of typification a specimen is a gathering, or part of a gathering, of a single species or infraspecific taxon, disregarding admixtures (see Art. 9.14). It may consist of a single organism, parts of one or several organisms, or of multiple small organisms. A specimen is usually mounted on a single herbarium sheet or in an equivalent preparation, such as a box, packet, jar, or microscope slide.

Article 8.4

Type specimens of names of taxa must be preserved permanently and may not be living organisms or cultures. Nevertheless, cultures of algae and fungi, if preserved in a metabolically inactive state (e.g. by lyophilization or deep-freezing to remain alive in that inactive state), are acceptable as types (see also Art. 40.8).

Article 40.5

For the purpose of Art. 40.1, the type of a name of a new species or infraspecific taxon of microscopic algae or microfungi (fossils excepted: see Art. 8.5) may be an effectively published illustration if there are technical difficulties of specimen preservation or if it is impossible to preserve a specimen that would show the features attributed to the taxon by the author of the name.

Article 40.6

For the name of a new taxon at the rank of genus or below published on or after 1 January 1990, indication of the type must include one of the words “typus” or “holotypus”, or its abbreviation, or its equivalent in a modern language (see also Rec. 40A.1 and 40A.4). But in the case of the name of a monotypic (as defined in Art. 38.6) new genus or subdivision of a genus with the simultaneously published name of a new species, indication of the type of the species name is sufficient.

Article 40.7

For the name of a new species or infraspecific taxon published on or after 1 January 1990 of which the type is a specimen or unpublished illustration, the single herbarium, collection, or institution in which the type is conserved must be specified (see also Rec. 40A.5 and 40A.6).

Note 4. Specification of the herbarium, collection, or institution may be made in an abbreviated form, e.g. as given in Index Herbariorum or in the World Directory of Collections of Cultures of Microorganisms.

Article 40.8

For the name of a new species or infraspecific taxon published on or after 1 January 2019 of which the type is a culture, the protologue must include a statement that the culture is preserved in a metabolically inactive state.

Recommendation 40A.1

The indication of the nomenclatural type should immediately follow the description or diagnosis and should include the Latin word “typus” or “holotypus”.

Recommendation 40A.4

Details of the type specimen of the name of a new species or infraspecific taxon should be published in the Latin alphabet.

Recommendation 40A.5

Specification of the herbarium, collection, or institution of deposition should be followed by any available number permanently and unambiguously identifying the holotype specimen.

Recommendation 40A.6

Citation of the herbarium, collection, or institution of deposition should use one of the standards mentioned in Art. 40 Note 4 or, when those standards give no abbreviated form, should be given in full with the location.

Rule 18a

Whenever possible, the type of a species or subspecies is a designated strain.

The type strain is made up of living cultures of an organism, which are descended from a strain designated as the nomenclatural type. The strain should have been maintained in pure culture and should agree closely to its characters with those in the original description (see Chapter 4C). The type strain may be designated in various ways (see Rules 18b, 18c, and 18d).

1. Until 31 December 2000, for a species (or subspecies) which has not so far been maintained in laboratory cultures or for which a type does not exist, a description, preserved specimen, or illustration (see also Rule 18f) may serve as the type.

Example: Non-cultivated, Oscillospira guilliermondii Chatton and Perard 1913.

2. As from 1 January 2001, a description, preserved (non-viable) specimen, or illustration may not serve as the type.

Article 40.1

Publication on or after 1 January 1958 of the name of a new taxon at the rank of genus or below is valid only when the type of the name is indicated (see Art. 7–10; but see Art. H.9 Note 1 for the names of certain hybrids).

Rule 16

The type of a taxon must be designated by the author at the time the name of the taxon is published in the IJSEM (see Rules 15, 18a, b, f, 20a-c, 21a, 22, 27 (3)).

Note. Authors who intend to publish the name in the IJSEM with reference to a previous effectively published description under Rule 27 (2) are advised also to designate the type when publishing that description.

Note. If a previous effective publication does not designate a type then the type must be designated at the time of valid publication in IJSEM, in accordance with the Rules of this Code.

Article 9.1

A holotype of a name of a species or infraspecific taxon is the one specimen or illustration (but see Art. 40.4) either (a) indicated by the author(s) as the nomenclatural type or (b) used by the author(s) when no type was indicated. As long as the holotype is extant, it fixes the application of the name concerned (but see Art. 9.15).

Rule 18b Designation by original author

If the author in the effective publication of the name of a species or subspecies definitely designated a type strain, then this strain shall be accepted as the type strain and may be referred to as the holotype.

Article 9.8

A neotype is a specimen or illustration selected to serve as nomenclatural type if no original material exists, or as long as it is missing (see also Art. 9.16 and 9.19(c)).

Article 9.11

If the name of a species or infraspecific taxon was published without a holotype (Art. 9.1), or when the holotype or previously designated lectotype has been lost or destroyed, or when the material designated as type is found to belong to more than one taxon, a lectotype or, if permissible (Art. 9.8), a neotype as a substitute for it may be designated (see also Art. 9.16).

Article 9.13

If no original material is extant or as long as it is missing, a neotype may be selected. A lectotype always takes precedence over a neotype, except as provided by Art. 9.16 and 9.19(c).

Article 9.16

When a holotype or a previously designated lectotype has been lost or destroyed and it can be shown that all the other original material differs taxonomically from the lost or destroyed type, a neotype may be selected to preserve the usage established by the previous typification (see also Art. 9.18).

Article 9.18

A neotype selected under Art. 9.16 may be superseded if it can be shown to differ taxonomically from the holotype or lectotype that it replaced.

Article 9.19

The author who first designates (Art. 7.10, 7.11, and F.5.4) a lectotype or a neotype in conformity with Art. 9.11–9.13 must be followed, but that choice is superseded if (a) the holotype or, in the case of a neotype, any of the original material is found to exist; the choice may also be superseded if it can be shown that (b) it is contrary to Art. 9.14 or (c) it is in serious conflict with the protologue, in which case an element that is not in conflict with the protologue is to be chosen; a lectotype may only be superseded by a non-conflicting element of the original material, if such exists; if none exists it may be superseded by a neotype.

Rule 18c Designation as neotype

If a strain on which the original description was based cannot be found, a neotype strain may be proposed.

A neotype strain must be proposed (proposed neotype) in the IJSEM, together with citation of the author(s) of the name, a description or reference to an effectively published description, and a record of the permanently established culture collection(s) where the strain is deposited (see also Note 1 to Rule 24a).

The author should show that a careful search for the strains used in the original description has been made and that none of them can be found. The author should also demonstrate that the proposed neotype agrees closely with the description given by the original author.

The neotype becomes established (established neotype) 2 years after the date of its publication in the IJSEM, provided that there are no objections, which must be referred within the first year of the publication of the neotype to the Judicial Commission for consideration.

Note. The term “strain” refers to the culture or subcultures of it, described in the original description. This is not restricted to the strain bearing the culture collection number mentioned in the valid publication, but refers to any culture knowingly derived from the original strain.

Rule 18f

If a description or illustration constitutes, or a dead preserved specimen has been designated the type of a species (Rule 18a(1)) and later a strain of this species is cultivated, then the type strain may be designated by the person who isolated the strain or by a subsequent author. This type strain shall then replace the description, illustration or preserved specimen as the nomenclatural type. The designation of a type strain in this manner must be published in the IJSEM, the authorship and date of priority of publication being determined by the effective and valid publication of the name by the original authors (Rule 24b).

Recommendation 8B.1

Whenever practicable a living culture should be prepared from the holotype material of the name of a newly described taxon of algae or fungi and deposited in at least two institutional culture or genetic resource collections. (Such action does not obviate the requirement for a holotype specimen under Art. 8.4.)

Recommendation 8B.2

In cases where the type of a name is a culture permanently preserved in a metabolically inactive state (see Art. 8.4), any living isolates obtained from it should be referred to as “ex-type” (ex typo), “ex-holotype” (ex holotypo), “ex-isotype” (ex isotypo), etc., in order to make it clear they are derived from the type but are not themselves the nomenclatural type.

Rule 30

3.b: As of 1 January 2001, the description of a new species, or new combinations previously represented by viable cultures must include the designation of a type strain (see Rule 18a), and a viable culture of that strain must be deposited in at least two publicly accessible culture collections in different countries from which subcultures must be available. The designations allotted to the strain by the culture collections should be quoted in the published description. Evidence must be presented that the cultures are present, viable, and available at the time of publication.

Note. In exceptional cases, such as organisms requiring specialized facilities (e.g. Risk Group/Biological Safety Level 3, high pressure requirements, etc.), exceptions may be made to this Rule. Exceptions will be considered on an individual basis by a committee consisting of the Chairman of the ICSP, the Chairman of the Judicial Commission and the Editor of the IJSEM. Exceptions will be made known at the time of publication.

4. Organisms deposited in such a fashion that access is restricted, such as safe deposits or strains deposited solely for current patent purposes, may not serve as type strains.