The Draft BioCode (2011)
A discussion on the BioCode can be followed here
Contents
Chapter II. Names (general provisions)
Chapter III. Rank groups and their names
Section 1. Taxa above the rank of family
Section 2. Family-group taxa and infrafamilial taxa
Section 3. Genus-group taxa and infrageneric taxa
Section 4. Species-group taxa and infraspecific taxa
Chapter IV. Provisions for special groups
Chapter
V. Orthography and gender of names
Chapter VI. Authorship of names
As information on the
world’s biota becomes increasingly integrated across different groups of
organisms, from bacteria and fungi to animals and plants, there is a concomitant
rising need for a consistent and harmonized approach to the regulation of
scientific names. The BioCode initiative
represents a concerted effort, by biologists intimately involved in the
operation of the current system of separate codes, to devise a unified approach
to the future naming of organisms of all kinds. This need has become pressing
in view of common issues that the separate organismal codes now have to
address, consequent on the rapid changes taking place in global informatics,
database architecture, molecular systematics and ecology, and electronic
publication.
The Draft BioCode (2011) is most
appropriately viewed as a framework over-arching the practices of the current
series of codes, but which also addresses ways in which some of the key issues
of current concern in systematics could be handled by all codes, for example
the registration of new names and electronic publication. In addition, it has
been drawn up so that its provisions can be adopted at the appropriate time for
any particular group of organisms, at any rank or range of ranks. Such adoption
is to be determined by the appropriately mandated international body if and
when the necessary structures exist and are operational
The advantages of
moving towards a more harmonized system were realized at a Systematics
Association-sponsored symposium held at the Third International Congress of
Systematic and Evolutionary Biology (ICSEB III) in Brighton (UK) in 1985. IUBS
then established a standing committee on biological nomenclature after debates
at the 22nd IUBS General Assembly in
The BioCode was, from the first, seen as
something to deal with names proposed in the future, while the existing
separate codes continued to deal with those of the past. It was envisaged as
operating in parallel while agreed lists of names were developed by, for
example, phylum, order or family. While some minor changes have been effected
in the existing codes towards improved harmonization since that time, an agreed
list of names and a mechanism for compulsory registration of new names
continued to be available only in bacteriology. However, as the 21st
century commenced, the rapid evolution of databases meant that the production
of lists on a group basis became more practical, and a need for a timely and
low-cost system of cataloguing newly proposed names emerged in botany,
mycology, and zoology. In addition, changing classifications as a result of
molecular phylogenetic studies, meant that the problems of groups potentially
being treated under different codes, or meriting transfer from one to another,
grew. Against this background, the ICB organized a meeting to consider the
issues surrounding the mandatory registration of new scientific names in the
rooms of the Linnean Society of London in 2007, and a workshop on Tailoring Biological Nomenclature to User
Needs at the Natural History Museum in
In presenting the Draft BioCode (2011), I wish to thank
the past and current members of the ICB, and also others that have participated
in the various workshops, debates and symposia on this issue over the last 25
years. Their sustained and insightful comments are now crystallizing into a
vision for a pragmatic nomenclatural system, tailored to the electronic and
molecular age, and in which biologists, as a whole, can have confidence.
David L. Hawksworth (Chair, IUBS/IUMS
International Committee on Bionomenclature)
Explanatory prologue
As compared to its predecessor of 1997, the new, 2011 version of the BioCode has been substantially rewritten to take past experience into account. It no longer aims to replace the current (special) Codes, but instead it endeavours to provide an over-arching common framework for them. It is therefore to be used alongside the special Codes, as their complement, and is ready for immediate implementation. It is a terse text of only 35 Articles, making reference to the special Codes whenever appropriate, but for most purposes it can stand on its own. Besides, it foreshadows a number of essential future improvements, which depend on changes in the special Codes before they can take effect – and will hopefully trigger such changes. One such option is the requirement to register new names and nomenclatural acts (e.g. lectotype designations) [Art. 5.2, 12 & 13]: not a new idea (it is included in the earlier draft versions) but here modified to take advantage of recent technological (and hopefully psychological) progress. Further proposed innovations are the requirement of English or Latin descriptive matter for new taxa (currently Latin for plants, any language for animals) [Art. 7]; the option to protect names and their attributes by means of Adopted Lists [Art. 20]; the prospect of banishing inter-regnal homonymy for future names [Art. 18.2]; and the permission, for so-called ambiregnal organisms, to use alternative (zoological or botanical or bacteriological) terminations for suprageneric names, irrespective of the Code that is being applied [Art. 23 Note 2, 24 Note 2, 25 Note 1]. An innovative approach has permitted to extend to botany and bacteriology the principle of coordinated status of names within rank groups, fundamental in zoology [Art. 3.3]. By introducing additional ranks (profamily between family and subfamily [Art. 24.1 & Note 1], progenus between genus and subgenus [Art. 26.2 &Notes], prospecies between species and subspecies [Art. 28.3 & Notes]) the coordinated status rules can be implemented retroactively for all kinds of organism without negative, destabilising effects on the existing system of names.
This text is a draft only. The present wording, while carefully considered, may in places fall short of the basic intent outlined above, or might be construed to have unintended effects. If so, it must be, and will be, improved. Suggestions and comments are now encouraged.
Werner GREUTER (ICB Secretary)
Principles and Rules Regulating the Naming of
Organisms
Prepared and edited by W. Greuter [1],
G. Garrity[2],
D. L. Hawksworth[3], R. Jahn[4],
P. M. Kirk[5],
1. Biology requires a precise, coherent
and simple system for the naming of organisms used internationally, dealing
both with the nomenclatural terms and with the scientific names that are
applied to the individual taxonomic groups of organisms (taxa, singular taxon).
2. The provisions of this Code
shall apply to names of all kinds of organisms, whether eukaryotic or
prokaryotic, fossil or non-fossil[12], and of
fossil traces of organism (ichnotaxa), that are established (i.e., validly
published or made available) and shall govern the choice when names compete
among themselves or with earlier names. They shall also, and without
limitation of date, provide for the establishment of co-ordinate names within
rank groups, for the protection of names, as well as for their correct form.
3. Established
names of organisms that are not yet covered by Adopted Lists of
Protected Names are in all other respects (including their subsequent
typification) governed by the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria
(here: “bacteriological Code”),
the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (“botanical Code”) or the International Code of
Zoological Nomenclature (“zoological
Code”) hereafter jointly called the “Special Codes”,
depending on the accepted taxonomic position of their type.
4. Separate rules for organismal
nomenclature, contained in the PhyloCode, are being established by analogy to
those in the Special Codes but
are based on different principles. Any names that may be proposed
under the PhyloCode have no standing
under the BioCode.
5. Separate rules for virus
nomenclature, contained in The International Code of Virus Classification
and Nomenclature (virological Code) have been established in
conformity with Principles I and V of this Code and with the thrust of
many of its rules. Because names of virus species do not have the
binominal form required under this Code, and names of virus taxa in
other recognised ranks have mandatory terminations according to rank,
provisions of the BioCode proscribing these
terminations for non-virus taxa ensure that the names of viruses and other
organisms cannot conflict.
6. The nomenclature of cultivated
plants follows the provisions of this Code, in so far as these
provisions are applicable, but the naming of distinguishable groups of plants
whose origin or selection is primarily due to intentional human actions follows
the supplementary provisions contained in the International Code of
Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (“cultivated
plant Code”).
7. The nomenclature of
infraspecific taxa (pathovars) of plant pathogenic bacteria is regulated by a
set of International Standards for Naming
Pathovars of Phytopathogenic Bacteria (“plant pathogen Standards”).
DIVISION
Principle I
The BioCode governs the formation
and choice of scientific names of taxa but not the circumscription, position,
or rank of the taxa themselves. Nothing in this Code may be
construed to restrict the freedom of taxonomic action.
Principle II
Scientific nomenclature of
organisms builds upon the Linnaean system of binary names (binomina) for
species.
Principle III
The application of names of taxa
is determined by means of name-bearing types (hereafter referred to as types),
although this principle does not apply to certain names at supra-familial ranks
(see Art. 23.1(b)).
Principle IV
The nomenclature of a taxon is
based upon priority (precedence by date) of publication, although application
of this principle is not mandatory at all ranks (Art. 19.7).
Principle V
Each taxon in the family group,
genus group or species group with a particular circumscription, position, and
rank has only one accepted name, except as may be specified in a Special Code.
Principle VI
Scientific names of taxa are
treated as Latin, regardless of their derivation.
Principle VII
The name as applied to a taxon is not to be changed
without sufficient reason, based either on further taxonomic studies or on the
necessity of giving up a name that is contrary to the Rules of nomenclature.
Principle VIII
In the absence of a relevant rule
or where the consequences of rules are doubtful, established custom is followed
(see also Div. III.5.).
Principle IX
The rules of nomenclature are
retroactive, subject to any specified limitations (see also Pre. 2-3).
CHAPTER
Article 1
1.1. Every individual organism is
treated as belonging to an indefinite number of taxa of consecutively
subordinate rank.
1.2. Taxa normally consist of whole
organisms in all their life stages, irrespective of the nature of the
corresponding name-bearing types. For practical reasons, in some categories of
organisms taxa are recognised and can be named that correspond only to parts of
organisms, or to definite stages of their life history, or result from their
activity. Such taxa are termed parataxa. This Code provides, in Art. 31,
for names of parataxa of specified categories.
Article 2
2.1. The primary ranks of taxa in
descending sequence are: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus,
and species.
Article 3
3.1. Secondary ranks of taxa, when
required, include in descending sequence: domain above kingdom, tribe
between family and genus, section and series between genus and
species, and variety and form below species.
3.2. Should an even greater number of
ranks of taxa be desired, the terms for these are made by adding the prefixes
super-, pro-, or sub- (sub- being below pro-) to non-prefixed terms denoting
principal or secondary ranks.
Ex. 1. Superfamilies, progenera or subspecies are permitted but not
subprospecies or prosubspecies.
3.3. Throughout this Code, the
following rank groups are recognised: “suprafamilial ranks” (all ranks above
the family group); “family-group ranks” (the ranks of family and profamily);
“infrafamilial ranks” (all ranks between family group and genus group);
“genus-group ranks” (the ranks of genus and progenus); “infrageneric ranks”
(all ranks between genus group and species group); “species-group ranks” (the
ranks of species and prospecies); and “infraspecific ranks” (any rank below the
species group).
Note 1. Further ranks may be intercalated
or added, but designations of taxa in such ranks are not governed by this Code.
Recommendation 3A
3A.1. The establishment of
new names of infraspecific taxa is strongly discouraged, except in groups in
which they are used traditionally.
CHAPTER II. NAMES (GENERAL
PROVISIONS)
Article 4
4.1. Established names are those that
comply with the requirements of Art. 7-11 (see also Art. 33.2) or that,
prior to the starting date defined in those Articles, were validly published or
became available under the relevant Special Code.
4.2. In this Code, unless
otherwise indicated, the word “name” means an established name, whether it be
acceptable or unacceptable (see Art. 19).
4.3. Acceptable names are established
names that are in accordance with the rules, that is, are neither unacceptable
under Art. 18 nor illegitimate under the relevant Special Code.
4.4. In the family group, genus group,
or species group, the accepted name of a taxon with a particular
circumscription, position, and rank is the acceptable name which must be
adopted for it under the rules (see Art. 19).
Note 1. In ranks not
belonging to the family group, genus group, or species group, any established
name of a taxon adopted by a particular author is an accepted name (see Art.
19.7).
4.5. The name of a taxon consisting of
the name of a genus combined with one epithet is a binomen, the name of a
species combined with a second epithet is a trinomen; binomina or trinomina are
combinations.
Recommendation 4A
4A.1 In order to denote a
clear distinction between scientific names of organisms and designations in
common language, scientific names of all ranks should appear in the same distinctive,
and preferably italic, type.
Article 5
5.1. In order to be
established, a name must be (a) new, (b) have the form required by Art. 23-31,
and (c) comply with the special provisions of Art. 7-11.
5.2. On or after the relevant future date
to be determined (Div.III.4), case by case, for the various
categories of organisms, names, and nomenclatural acts, any name of a new
taxon, replacement name, or new combination, and any nomenclatural act (Art.
16.6, 17.4, 18.8 & 19.5), must be registered in order to be established
(see Art. 12).
Note 1. Registration does not
in itself grant establishment. Upon request or by oversight, names and
nomenclatural acts may be registered even though they fail to fulfil all
establishment requirements. In such cases, an apposite note will be added to
the registration entry (see Art. 13.1).
Note 2. No previous formal
publication is required for registration, nor does such publication affect the
date or the form and attributes of a registered name.
Recommendation 5A
5A.1. Authors who submit
names or nomenclatural acts for registration that have not previously been
formally published should expedite formal publication as soon as possible after
registration, and should endeavour to provide a reference to that prospective
publication in their registration submission.
5A.2 Authors should
register new names and nomenclatural acts on acceptance of the corresponding
text for formal publication.
5A.3. In the subsequent
formal publication of a new taxon of which the name has already been
registered, or of new nomenclatural acts, the registration parameters (number,
date) should be mentioned, and the spelling and relevant attributes (e.g. type,
validating description) of the name should be given exactly as registered.
Article 6
6.1. The establishment of any
family-group name is deemed to automatically establish co-ordinate names at the
other rank of the family group. The co-ordinate names are formed from the same
generic name and have the same authorship and date.
6.2. All subfamily names established
under the zoological Code are, under the BioCode,
treated as simultaneously established names of profamilies (Art. 3.2; see also
Art. 24 Note 1).
Note 1. Names of subfamilies
established under the botanical or bacteriological Code maintain the former subfamily termination -oideae (Art. 25.1) and are intermediate in rank between profamily
and tribe (Art. 3.2).
6.3. The establishment of any
genus-group name is deemed to automatically establish an identical co-ordinate
name at the other rank of the genus group. The co-ordinate names have the same
type, authorship and date.
6.4. All names of subgenera
established under the zoological Code are, under the BioCode, treated as simultaneously established
names of progenera (Art. 3.2; see also Art. 26 Note 1).
Note 2. Names of subgenera
(subgen.) have the same form as those of other infrageneric taxa, for instance,
sections (Art. 27), and are intermediate in rank between progenus and section
(Art. 3.2).
6.5. The establishment of any
species-group name is deemed to automatically establish a co-ordinate name at
the other rank of the species group. The co-ordinate names have identical final
epithets, the same type, authorship and date.
6.6. All names of subspecies
established under the zoological Code are, under the BioCode, treated as simultaneously
established names of prospecies (Art. 3.2; see also Art. 28 Note 1).
Note 3. Names of subspecies
(subsp.) have the same form as those of other infraspecific taxa, for instance, varieties (Art. 29), and are intermediate in
rank between prospecies and variety (Art. 3.2).
Article 7
7.1. On or after a future date to be
determined (Div. III.4) a name of a new taxon, in order to be established, must
be accompanied by a Latin or English description of the taxon, or by a direct
and unambiguous bibliographic reference to a previously published Latin or
English description that applies to the taxon at a rank belonging to the same
rank group (Art. 3.3).
7.2. Art. 7.1
notwithstanding, a direct and unambiguous bibliographic reference to a previously
published Latin or English description of
an infrafamilial, infrageneric, or infraspecific taxon is sufficient, under
the botanical Code, to
establish a name of a new taxon in the
rank of family-group, genus-group, or species-group, respectively, and vice
versa (see also Art. 6).
Article 8
8.1. On or after a future date to be
determined (Div. III.4) a new combination or a replacement name for a previously
established name, in order to be established, must be accompanied by a direct
and unambiguous bibliographic reference to its basionym (name-bringing or
epithet-bringing synonym) or replaced name, its author and place of original
publication.
8.2. In order to be direct and
unambiguous, a bibliographic reference must include the page or plate reference
(where applicable) and year (in so far as known); for publications with a
consecutive pagination, the page reference is a reference to the page or pages
on which the basionym was published or on which the protologue[13] is
printed, but not to the pagination of the whole publication unless it is
coextensive with that of the protologue.
Note 1. When the basionym or replaced
name is a name established by registration, citation of that name with its
registration parameters (number, date) is a direct and unambiguous reference.
8.3. The basionym or replaced name may
be of a different rank from the new combination or replacement name, but only
within a single rank group (as defined in Art. 3.3).
8.4. Art.
8.3 notwithstanding, names of infrafamilial, infrageneric, or infraspecific
taxa established under the botanical Code can serve as basionyms or replaced names for new combinations or
replacement names in the ranks of family-group, genus-group, or species-group,
respectively, and vice versa (see also Art. 6).
Article 9
9.1. On or after a future date to be
determined (Div. III.4) a name of a new taxon of the rank of genus or below, in
order to be established, must be accompanied by the designation of its type
(see Art. 14-17). Designation of the type must include one of the words
“holotype” (holotypus)
or “type” (typus), or
the corresponding abbreviation, and, unless the type is a published
illustration, a specification of the institution or collection in which it is
conserved.
Article 10
10.1. On or after a future date to be
determined (Div. III.4) a name of a new fossil botanical species or subordinate
taxon, in order to be established, must be accompanied by an illustration or
figure showing diagnostic characters, in addition to the description or
diagnosis, or by a bibliographic reference to a previously published
illustration or figure. This requirement also applies to names of new
non-fossil algal taxa at these ranks.
Recommendation 10A
10A.1 Provision of an
illustration or figure showing diagnostic characters is recommended for all new
taxa, especially for those of zoological fossils as well as ambiregnal and any
microscopic organisms[14].
Article 11
11.1. Only if the corresponding genus
or species name is established can the name of a subordinate taxon be
established (but see Art. 30.2).
Article 12
12.1. Registration as mandated by Art.
5.2 is effected (a) by submitting a name, with all necessary details
(Art. 7-11), or by specifying a nomenclatural act (Art. 16.6, 17.4, 18.8 or
19.5), authored by at least one named person, either in print or in an agreed
digital format, to the appropriate Registering Centre (see Annex A[15] and
Div. III.8); and (b), complying with the technical requirements of the
registering centre.
12.2. Registration will be granted to
all submitted names that fulfil these conditions as well as the requirements of
Art. 7-11. The procedures are specified in Annex A.
Note 1. Co-ordinate names
within a rank group need not be submitted separately.
12.3. The
registering centres are empowered to register non-submitted items placed in the
public domain that meet the requirements of Art. 7-11 for establishment. They are entitled to do so
when the following conditions obtain: (a) new names and nomenclatural
acts are clearly identified as such; (b) the authors are named persons; and (c)
there is nothing to indicate that new names and nomenclatural acts are not
definitely accepted by their author, nor is there any disclaimer to the effect
that they are not to be considered as published for nomenclatural purposes.
12.4. Under
Art. 5.2, the date of establishment of a new name or of a nomenclatural act is
that of its registration, which is the moment in which the relevant information
becomes generally available by being placed on a global electronic
communication network by the competent registering centre, or published in the
relevant official medium.
Article 13
13.1. Entries of registered names and
nomenclatural acts cannot be deleted (but see Art. 13.2). However, factual
omissions and errors, particularly those that result in non-establishment, will
be mentioned in notes added to the registration entry. Subsequently added notes
will be dated. Whenever possible, reference will be made to the actual (prior
or subsequent) place and date of establishment.
Ex. 1. When the earlier
establishment of a supposedly new combination has been overlooked, the entry is
maintained but citation of the actual place of establishment is added.
Ex. 2. If the purported
basionym of an intended new combination is not an established name, the entry
is maintained with a note on failed establishment of the combination.
Ex. 3. When the earlier
publication of a supposedly new type designation has been overlooked, the entry
is maintained but a reference to the earlier designation is added, and the
previously designated name-bearing type, when it differs, is specified.
Article 14
14.1. The application of names of taxa
of the rank of superfamily or below, and of those names of taxa in the higher
ranks that are ultimately based on generic names, is determined by means of
types (name-bearing types). The unit formed by the name and its type is
referred to as the nominal taxon.
14.2. A type is that element to which
the name of a taxon is permanently attached, whether it be an accepted name or
not.
14.3. A new name based on a previously
published acceptable name, for instance, as a new combination or as a
replacement for an older name (see Art. 8), is typified by the type of the
older name.
Article 15
15.1. The nature of types of names of
new taxa is as defined in the relevant Special Code.
Article 16
16.1. When the name of a species or
subordinate taxon has no acceptable designated type, a type may be designated.
Designation must comply with the rules in the relevant Special Code.
16.2. When no single type was
designated for the name of a new taxon, a lectotype may be designated.
16.3. If a type specimen is lost or
destroyed, or is unavailable for consultation for an indefinite period of time,
a neotype may be designated to serve as type so long as the original type is
unavailable or missing.
16.4. When a type specimen contains
parts belonging to more than one taxon, a part of it may be designated as type
so as to fix the application of the name.
16.5. When a type cannot be critically
identified for purposes of the precise application of the name of a taxon, and
it is desirable to fix that application, an epitype may be designated.
Suitability of a designated epitype may be challenged (see Div. III.9).
16.6. In
order to be established, on and after the relevant starting date for
mandatory registration (Art. 5.2), type
designations as provided for in Art. 16.1-5 must be registered (Art. 5.1; see
also Art. 12).
Article 17
17.1. The type of a name of a
supraspecific taxon of generic or lower rank is a nominal species.
17.2. The type of a name of
a suprageneric taxon the name of which is derived from a generic name is the
nominal genus from which it is derived.
17.3. When the name of a supraspecific
taxon has no acceptable designated type, a type may be designated. Designation must
comply with the rules in the relevant Special Code.
17.4. In
order to be established, on and after the relevant starting date for
mandatory registration (Art. 5.2), type
designations as provided for in Art. 17.3 must be registered (Art. 5.1; see
also Art. 12).
Article 18
18.1. Homonyms are identically spelled
names based on different types. Rank designators are disregarded for the
assessment of homonymy, so that names in different ranks can nevertheless be
homonyms.
18.2. A family-group, genus-group or
species-group name established on or after a future date to be determined (Div.
III.3), unless conserved (Art. 21) or otherwise protected, is unacceptable if
it is a later homonym, that is, if it, or one of its co-ordinate names, is
spelled exactly like a name based on a different type that was previously
established for a taxon in the same rank (see also Art. 18.6).
18.3. Two different homonyms may both
be acceptable if they were published under different Special Codes prior to the date determined in
Art. 18.2. However, of different homonyms published under the same Special Code,
all but the earliest one are unacceptable unless conserved or protected.
Note 1. In the ranks of the species
group, a binomen or trinomen that is already established cannot be displaced by
transfer of the epithet of an earlier acceptable name whose final epithet[16] would
otherwise have to be adopted under Art. 19.4. In such cases, the resultant
combination would be unacceptable as a later homonym (see also Rec. 18A).
18.4. A name of an infrageneric taxon
is unacceptable, irrespective of its date, if it has the generic name as its
epithet but is based on a different type (but see Rec. 18B.1).
18.5. A name of an infraspecific taxon
is unacceptable, irrespective of its date, if it has the same final epithet as
the species name but is based on a different type (but see Rec. 18B.2).
18.6. When two or more species-group
names based on different types are so similar that they are likely to be
confused (parahomonyms) they are treated as homonyms.
Note 1. This provision does not apply to
genus-group names, except as provided by Art. 18.7.
18.7. When it is doubtful whether
species-group or genus-group names are parahomonyms (see Div. III.9) they may
be submitted to the appropriate committee(s) (Div. III.9) to obtain a binding
decision.
18.8. When two or more homonyms have
the same date, precedence between them is established in conformity with the
relevant Special Code. On or after
the relevant starting date for mandatory registration (Art. 5.2), any new
choice between homonyms of the same date must be registered (Art. 12) in order to take effect.
Recommendation 18A
18A.1. Later
homonyms which, being acceptable under the relevant Special Code, are in
current use should not be abandoned but proposed for conservation (Art. 21).
18A.2. Prior to the date determined in
Art. 18.2, authors should refrain from establishing new names that are homonyms of
acceptable names established under a different Special Code.
18A.3. In
choosing between homonyms in ranks where the principle of priority is not
mandatory, authors should nevertheless follow that principle, unless the result would be
nomenclaturally disruptive and contrary to established tradition.
Recommendation 18B
18B.1. When
establishing the name of a new progenus, authors should refrain from using the
epithet of a name previously established for an infrageneric taxon of the same
genus, based on a different type.
18B.2. When
establishing the name of a new prospecies, authors should refrain from using
the epithet of a name previously established for an infraspecific taxon of the
same species, based on a different type.
Article 19
19.1. For purposes of priority the date
of a name is either the date attributed to it in an Adopted List of Protected
Names (Art. 20) or, for unlisted names established prior to the relevant
starting date for mandatory registration (Art. 5.2), the date on which it was
validly published or became available under the relevant Special Code,
or the date on which it was established, on or after that same date, under the BioCode.
Limitations of priority that under the Special Codes affect names in certain
groups or of certain categories, even if not provided for in the BioCode,
still apply.
19.2. Competing names are acceptable
names with types that belong to the same taxon. At family-group, genus-group
and species-group ranks, the choice between competing names of the same rank is
governed by the principle of priority of establishment.
Note 1. Under the principle of
co-ordinate status (Art. 6), co-ordinate names in the other rank of the same
rank group are automatically established and accordingly take the same date in
both ranks of the group.
19.3. For any taxon in one of the ranks
of the family or genus group, the accepted name is the earliest acceptable one
that competes at that rank, except in cases of limitation of precedence under
Art. 20-24, or where Art. 31 applies.
19.4. For any species-group taxon, the
accepted name is the combination of the final epithet of the earliest
acceptable name that competes at that rank, with the accepted name of the genus
or species to which it is assigned, except (a) in cases of limitation of
precedence under Art. 20-24, or (b) if the resulting combination cannot
become established under Art. 28.2, or (c)
would be unacceptable as a later homonym as defined in Art. 18, or (d)
if Art. 31 rules that a different combination be used.
19.5. When, for any taxon of the family
group, genus group or species group, a choice is possible between acceptable
names of equal date, or between final epithets of acceptable names of equal
date, the first such choice to be published before the relevant starting date
for mandatory registration (Art. 5.2) in conformity with the relevant Special Code, or if there is none, the first
registered choice under the BioCode (Art. 12) establishes the
precedence of the chosen name, and of any acceptable combination with the same
type and final epithet at that rank, over the other competing name(s).
19.6. Names of organisms (animals and
algae excepted) based on a non-fossil type take precedence over names of the
same rank based on a fossil (or subfossil) type (see also Art. 31.2).
19.7. The principle of priority is not
mandatory for names of taxa not belonging to the family group, genus group or
species group.
Recommendation 19A
19A.1. Authors
should follow the principle of priority also when it is not mandatory, unless the result would be
nomenclaturally disruptive and contrary to established tradition.
Article 20
20.1. In order to stabilise the
nomenclatural status of names in current use, and to prevent their being
displaced by names no longer in use, Lists of names and their
attributes may, after apposite public review, be submitted to the ICB for
adoption (see Div. III.9).
Ex. 1. The Approved Lists of Bacterial
Names (see Rule 24a of the bacteriological Code)
are, for all events and purposes, equivalent to the Adopted Lists provided
for in the BioCode.
Ex. 2. The Lists of Available Names in
Zoology (see Art. 79 of the zoological Code)
are, for all events and purposes, equivalent to the Adopted Lists provided
for in the BioCode.
Ex. 3. The list of Names in Current Use
in the Trichocomaceae (fungi) to
which special status has been granted by the 1993 International Botanical
Congress (Regnum Veg. 128: 13-57. 1993; see the Tokyo edition of the botanical Code, p. x) is, for all events and purposes, equivalent to an Adopted List as provided for in the BioCode.
20.2. Once a List has been
adopted, all listed names and their co-ordinate names are protected. A
protected name is treated as if conserved against earlier homonyms and unlisted
competing names; it is treated as established in the place and on the date
cited in the list; and its type, when listed, its spelling and, if specified,
its gender are treated as if conserved.
20.3. Protection can, for individual
lists, be restricted with respect to the options set out in Art. 20.2, and
particular entries on a list can be exempted from protection. Such
restrictions and exceptions are to be specified.
20.4. Once a list has been adopted,
entries can be added, modified or removed only by the mechanisms of
conservation or suppression of names (Art. 21-23). Specified
restrictions and exceptions can be waived or modified only upon recommendation
of the appropriate committee.
20.5. An earlier homonym of a protected
name does not lose its status of an established name, but the precedence of the
two homonyms is inverted by protection.
20.6. When, for a taxon of the family
or genus group, two or more protected names compete, Art. 19.3 governs the
choice of name (see also Art. 20.9).
20.7. When, for a taxon of the species
group, two or more protected names and/or two or more names with the same final
epithet and type as a protected name compete, Art. 19.4 governs the choice of
name.
20.8. The date of protection does not
affect the date of a protected name, which is the date of its establishment
(Art. 19.1).
20.9. A name which is neither protected
nor has the same type and final epithet as a protected name in the same rank
may not be applied to a taxon that includes the type of a protected name in
that rank unless the final epithet of the latter cannot be used in the required
combination (see Art. 19.4(b-c)).
20.10. Conservation and suppression
(Art. 21) override protection.
Article 21
21.1. Conservation or suppression of
names, nomenclatural acts or publications can suspend the application of the
rules to names of taxa of the family group, genus group and species group.
Conservation also permits the amendment of Adopted Lists of names
(Art. 20).
21.2. Provisions for the conservation
and suppression of names, and mechanisms for implementing them, are detailed in
the Special Codes (see Div. III.9).
Article 22
22.1. A name that has been widely and
persistently used for a taxon or taxa not including its type is not to be used
in a sense that conflicts with current usage unless and until a proposal to
deal with it under Art. 21 has been submitted and rejected.
CHAPTER III. RANK GROUPS AND
THEIR NAMES
section
1. taxa above the rank of family
Article 23
23.1. Names of taxa above the rank of
family are treated as nouns in the plural and are written with a capital
initial letter. They may be either (a) typified names (see
Art. 14.1) that are formed by adding a termination denoting their rank to
the genitive singular stem of a generic name, or exceptionally to the whole
name; or (b) typeless (“descriptive”) names that are formed differently,
apply to taxa defined by circumscription, and may be used unchanged at
different ranks.
23.2. For typified names, the name of a
subphylum that includes the type of the accepted name of a phylum, the name of
a subclass that includes the type of the accepted name of a class, or the name
of a suborder that includes the type of the accepted name of an order, are to
be based on the same type.
23.3. The typified name of a phylum or
subphylum is formed from the same generic name as an acceptable name of an
included class. The phylum name termination is -mycota for fungi,
-phyta for other botanical taxa, and -zoa for animals. The subphylum name termination is -mycotina
for fungi, -phytina for other botanical taxa, and -zoina for animals.
23.4. The typified name of a class or
subclass is formed from the same generic name as an acceptable name of an included
order. The class name termination is -mycetes for fungi, -phyceae
for algae, and -opsida for other botanical taxa and all animals. The
subclass name termination is -mycetidae for fungi, -phycidae for
algae, -idae for other botanical taxa, and -zoidae for animals.
23.5. The typified name of an order,
suborder, or superfamily is formed from the same generic name as an acceptable
name of an included family. For all groups, the order name termination is -ales, the suborder name
termination -ineae, and the superfamily name termination -oidea.
23.6. The name of a taxon above the
rank of family may not have the termination -virinae, -virales, or -viridae,
because these terminations are reserved for the names of viral taxa (see
Pre. 4).
Note 1. Names of taxa above the rank of
family that do not conform to the standards set out in Art. 23.3-23.6 are
acceptable as descriptive names (Art. 23.1(b)).
23.7. When a typified suprafamilial
name is published with a Latin termination not agreeing with the provisions of
this Article, the termination is changed to accord with it, but the name
retains its authorship and date.
Note 2. For
suprafamilial names of ambiregnal taxa (Rec. 10A, footnote), the alternative use of the terminations -mycota
or -phyta and -zoa (for phyla), -mycotina or -phytina
and -zoina (for subphyla), -mycetes or -phyceae and -opsida (for classes), -mycetidae or -phycidae and -zoidae (for subclasses) is authorised, irrespective of the Special Code otherwise
used by a given author.
Recommendation 23A
23A.1. The terminations provided in Art.
23.3-23.5 should not be used in typeless, descriptive names of any rank above
family.
section 2. family-group taxa and
infrafamilial taxa
Article 24
24.1. Family-group names are treated as
nouns in the plural and are written with a capital initial letter. They are
formed by adding a termination denoting rank to the genitive singular stem of a
generic name, or to the whole name if necessary to avoid homonymy.
The family name termination is -aceae
for all botanical and bacteriological taxa, -idae for zoological taxa.
The profamily name termination is
-idieae for all botanical and bacteriological taxa, -inae for
zoological taxa.
Note 1. Names of subfamilies
established under the zoological Code are, under the BioCode, treated as simultaneously
established names of profamilies (Art. 6.2).
For practical purposes, subfamily and profamily are, for these names, treated
as one and the same rank. However, names of subfamilies established under the
botanical or bacteriological Code are
not equivalent to names of profamilies and remain outside the family-group
ranks.
24.2. The name of a family may not have
the termination -viridae, and the name of a profamily may not have the
termination -virinae, because these terminations are reserved for the
names of viral taxa (see Pre. 4).
24.3. When a name is published with a
Latin termination not agreeing with the provisions of this Article, the
termination is changed to accord with it, but the name retains its authorship
and date.
Note 2. For
family-group names of ambiregnal taxa (Rec.
10A, footnote), the alternative use of the terminations -aceae
and -idae (for families), -idieae
and -inae (for profamilies) is authorised. irrespective of the Special Code otherwise used by a given
author.
Article 25
25.1 The name of an
infrafamilial taxon is a noun in the plural and is written with a capital
initial letter. It is formed in the same way as a name of a family-group taxon,
but by adding a different termination to denote rank:
The subfamily name termination is
-oideae for all botanical and bacteriological taxa, -inae for
zoological taxa.
The tribe name termination is -eae
for all botanical and bacteriological taxa, -ini for zoological taxa.
The subtribe name termination is -inae
for all botanical and bacteriological taxa, -ina for zoological taxa.
25.2. The name of an infrafamilial
taxon that includes the type of the accepted name of the family is to be based
on the same type as the family name.
25.3. The name of a subtribe may not
have the termination -virinae, which is reserved for the names of viral
taxa (see Pre. 4).
25.4. When a name is published with a
Latin termination not agreeing with the provisions of this Article, the termination
is changed to accord with it, but the name retains its authorship and date.
Note 1. For
infrafamilial names of ambiregnal taxa (Rec. 10A, footnote), the alternative use of the terminations -oideae
and -inae (for subfamilies), -eae
and -ini (for tribes), -inae and -ina (for subtribes) is authorised, irrespective of the Special Code otherwise
used by a given author.
section 3. genus-group taxa and
infrageneric taxa
Article 26
26.1. The name of a genus is a noun in
the singular, or a single word treated as such, and is written with a capital
initial letter. It may not have the termination -virus, which is
reserved for the names of viral genera (see Pre. 4).
26.2. The name of an progenus has the
same form as a generic name and stands on its own. However, it may not be used
as the first term in a binomen or trinomen. It may be interpolated in
parentheses between the terms of a binomen, optionally preceded by the rank
designator “progenus” (progen.), but is not for nomenclatural purposes a part
of that binomen.
Note 1. Names of subgenera
established under the zoological Code are, under the BioCode, treated as simultaneously
established names of progenera (Art. 6.4).
For practical purposes, subgenus and progenus are, for these names, treated as
one and the same rank. However, names of subgenera established under the
botanical or bacteriological Code are
not equivalent to names of progenera and remain outside the genus-group ranks.
Note 2. Under Art. 1.1 every
progenus is considered to belong to a given genus, but this affiliation is not
reflected in its name. Transfer of a progenus from one genus to another does
not therefore require a nomenclatural act.
Article 27
27.1. The name of an infrageneric taxon
(subgenus, section, subsection, series or subseries) is a combination of a
generic name and an epithet, the two being connected by the term denoting the
rank. The epithet is either of the same form as a generic name, or a plural
adjective. It is written with a capital initial letter. For practical purposes
the generic name may be omitted in citation.
27.2. Adjectival epithets agree in
gender with the generic name. Errors in inflection are to be corrected, but the
name retains its authorship and date.
27.3. The name of an infrageneric taxon
that includes the type of the accepted name of the genus is to repeat the
generic name unchanged as its epithet. Such names are termed autonyms.
27.4. The epithet in the name of an
infrageneric taxon may not repeat unchanged the accepted name of the genus to
which the taxon is assigned unless the two names have the same type.
section 4. species-group taxa and
infraspecific taxa
Article 28
28.1. The name of a species consists of
a generic name followed by a single word as specific epithet. The epithet may have
the form of an adjective, a noun in the genitive, or a word in apposition; it
is written with a lower-case initial letter.
28.2. In a name of a botanical taxon,
ambiregnal taxa (Rec. 10A, footnote) excepted, the specific epithet may not
exactly repeat the generic name.
28.3. A name of a prospecies consists
of the name of the species followed by a final epithet having the same form as
a specific epithet.
Note 1. Names of subspecies
established under the zoological Code are, under the BioCode, treated as simultaneously
established names of prospecies (Art. 6.6).
For practical purposes, subspecies and prospecies are, for these names, treated
as one and the same rank. However, names of subspecies established under the
botanical or bacteriological Code are
not equivalent to names of prospecies and remain outside the species-group
ranks.
Note 2. Insertion of the
rank-denoting term “prospecies” (prosp.) between the binomen and the final
epithet is unnecessary.
28.4. In a species-group name, the
final epithet, when adjectival in form and not used as a noun, agrees
grammatically with the generic name. Errors in inflection are to be corrected,
but the name retains its authorship and date.
Article 29
29.1. The name of an infraspecific
taxon is a combination of the name of a species and a final epithet, both being
connected by a rank-denoting term. The epithet has the same form as a
species-group epithet. Art. 28.4 applies by analogy.
29.2. The name of an infraspecific
taxon that includes the type of the accepted name of the species is to repeat
the specific epithet unchanged as its epithet. Such names are termed autonyms.
29.3. The final epithet in the name of
an infraspecific taxon may not repeat unchanged the epithet of the accepted
name of the species to which the taxon is assigned unless the two names have
the same type.
CHAPTER IV. PROVISIONS FOR
SPECIAL GROUPS
Article 30
30.1. Names for hybrids between
different taxa of specific or lower rank, including their progeny, are provided
for in the botanical Code. Except for
some special rules, the nomenclature of these hybrids follows the same
principles as that of non-hybrid taxa.
Note 1. The zoological and
bacteriological Codes do not provide
for the naming of hybrids.
30.2. Designations of hybrid taxa in supraspecific
ranks that equivalent to condensed formulae, or have condensed formulae as
their epithets, and are determined by a statement of parentage under the botanical Code (Art. H7 &
H9), are not established names under the BioCode. However, Art. 11
notwithstanding, names of species placed under such designations retain their
status of established names under the BioCode.
Note 2. Distinguishable
groups of cultivated plants and fungi, whose origin or selection is primarily
due to the intentional actions of mankind (e.g., cultivars and
cultivar-groups), are not covered by this Code, but are denominated
under the provisions of the International code of nomenclature for
cultivated plants.
Article 31
31.1. Names based on any part of an
organism or portion of its life history are treated as applicable to the whole
organism and compete for precedence as provided for in Art. 19-24, unless the
relevant Special Code provides
otherwise.
31.2. Fossil non-algal botanical taxa
are parataxa, which for nomenclatural purposes comprise only those parts,
life-history stages, or preservation states of organisms that are represented
by the corresponding name-bearing types.
Note 1. When a name, under the relevant
Special Code, applies only to that
part of an organism or portion of its life history represented by its type, it
is considered as the name of a parataxon.
Note 2. The botanical Code currently provides for parataxa of
certain groups of fungi with a pleomorphic life-cycle and of plant fossils. The
zoological Code provides for taxa for
the fossilised work of organisms (ichnotaxa).
CHAPTER V. ORTHOGRAPHY AND GENDER OF NAMES
Article 32
32.1. For the purpose of the BioCode,
orthographical variants are defined as the various spelling, compounding, and
inflectional forms of a name or its epithet (including typographical errors),
only one type being involved. Confusingly similar names based on the same type
are also treated as orthographical variants.
Note 1. For confusingly similar names
based on different types, see Art. 18.6 and 18.7.
32.2. Every
established name is deemed to have a single correct orthography. Its variants
are treated as correctable errors. The correctability of
orthographical variants of names established prior to a future date to be determined
(Div.III.3) is specified in the relevant Special Codes. The
corresponding provisions remain applicable under the BioCode, complemented by those of Art. 33 (see also Art. 20.2 and 21.2).
32.3. Correctable orthographical
variants of a name are to be corrected to the established form of that name.
Whenever such a variant appears in print, it is to be treated as if it were
printed in its corrected form.
Article 33
33.1. The original spelling of a name
or epithet is to be retained, except for the correction of typographical or
orthographical errors, the standardisation of terminations required by Art.
23.7, 24.3, 25.4, 27.2, 28.4, and 29.1 (see also Art. 32), and the corrections
provided for by the relevant Special Code.
Note 1. For names established on or after
the relevant starting date for mandatory registration (Art. 5.2), the words “original
spelling” in this Article mean the spelling employed when the name is submitted
for registration. Any corrections and standardisations required under Art. 33.1
are made during the registration process.
Article 34
34.1. A generic name is treated as a
noun with either masculine or feminine or neuter gender. Gender is established
on the basis of classical Latin and Greek grammar, when applicable, and by
subsequent biological usage (see also Annex C). In case of doubt, the gender
assigned by the author of the name or, failing this, by the first subsequent
author to assign a gender to the name, is accepted (see also Art. 20.2, 21.2,
and Annex C).
34.2. Compound generic names take the
gender of the last word in the nominative case in the compound. The most usual
words used in compounding generic names, together with their gender, are listed
in Annex C.
34.3. The gender of generic names often
depends on their termination. For those terminations for which a particular
gender is defined in the Special Codes, that
gender must be accepted. The most usual terminations used in forming generic
names, together with their gender, are listed in Annex C (see also Art. 20.2
and 21.2).
34.4. When a new generic name is
submitted for registration without indication of gender, or with an indication
of gender that is contrary to the Code, the gender is assigned or
corrected during registration.
CHAPTER VI. AUTHORSHIP OF NAMES
Article 35
35.1. In publications dealing with the
taxonomy and nomenclature of organisms, it may be desirable to cite the name of
the author(s) who established the name concerned and the year of its
establishment. For author citation, the rules of the relevant special Code apply, in addition to the
provisions in the present Article.
35.2. When a name of a taxon is jointly
authored by two persons, both author names are cited, linked with an ampersand
(&) or the word “et”. When a name
of a taxon has three or more authors, in subsequent citations only the first
needs to be cited, followed by the phrase “& al.” (or et al.).
35.3. When a taxon of rank lower than
progenus is altered in rank, or when its epithet is transferred to another
genus or species, the names of the authors of the basionym (name- or
epithet-bringing acceptable name), and optionally its year, are placed in
parentheses. After the parenthesis, the authorship and year of the alteration
or transfer may be added.
Recommendation 35A
35A.1. Inclusion of the name of persons
other than the actual author or authors, linked to the latter by the particle
“ex”, is provided for in the Special Codes.
As the prescribed order of names differs between the Codes, so that confusion may result, this practice is discouraged
under the BioCode.
35A.2. Author citations should be used
sparingly in publications dealing with the taxonomy and nomenclature of organisms,
and should be omitted in other publications unless they are necessary to avoid
confusion.
1. The BioCode is
established under the joint authority of the International Union of Biological
Sciences (IUBS) and of the International Union of Microbiological Societies
(IUMS), to be exercised through an inter-union International Committee on
Bionomenclature (ICB).
2. The ICB is a
non-governmental organisation (NGO) consisting of up to 20 members, with a
balanced representation of the main groups of organisms covered by the Special Codes. It operates in close contact with
the General Committee on Botanical Nomenclature (GCBN), the International
Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), the International Committee on
Systematic Bacteriology (ICSB), the International Commission for the
Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants (ICNCP), and the International Committee on
the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV).
3. The BioCode
takes effect upon being approved by an International Congress of Systematic and
Evolutionary Biology (ICSEB), or any Congress that may in the future take its
place, subject to ratification at the subsequent IUBS General Assembly or
appropriate IUMS Divisional Congress.
4. The dates on which individual
provisions of the BioCode (Art. 5.2,
7.1, 8.1, 9.1, 10.1, 16.6, 17.4, 18.2, 18.8, 32.2) take effect, for any
particular purpose or group of organisms, are determined by the ICB, which will
ensure that notice of such dates and of any relevant procedures be disseminated
world-wide at least one year in advance. The ICB has also power to suspend the
effect of any such provision, should this become necessary, and to designate
Registration Centres for defined groups of organisms (Art. 12.1; see Div.
III.8).
5. The ICB has power to
resolve present and future ambiguity concerning the provisions of the BioCode.
In case of those organisms that have been or still are treated under different
Special Codes by different workers, it will consult and seek to
establish consensus among the specialists in the groups concerned. Based on
these consultations, it shall – for nomenclatural purposes only – assign each
controversial group of organisms to the jurisdiction of one of the Special Codes.
6. The first and future
editions of the BioCode are published under the auspices of the
International Organisation for Systematic and Evolutionary Biology (IOSEB), or
any future successor organisation.
7. The ICB has powers to
edit future editions of the BioCode, and to amend its provisions where
necessary. Any proposed change of substance must, however, be subject to public
discussion before being approved by an ICSEB, or any Congress that may in the
future take its place, and ratified by the subsequent IUBS General Assembly or
appropriate IUMS Divisional Congress.
7.1. The ICB will act on
the proposals in the light of these opinions, a 60 % majority of voting
members being required for the approval of a change, when a quorum of 50 %
of members will apply.
7.2. Any adopted change
that is not of a retroactive nature will take effect from a date determined by
the ICB.
8. The ICB will operate
in close contact with the Registering Centres (Annex A), when they exist, and
will assist in setting up those that are wanting for a complete coverage of all
groups of organisms. It will ensure that the technical requirements defined by
each registering centre are compatible with user requirements and the letter
and spirit of the BioCode.
9. The ICB will not
interfere with the activities of the nomenclature committees operating under
the authority of the Special Codes, and
will refrain from setting up similar structures under its own authority unless
and until such a committee should cease to function. It will transmit to the
pertinent nomenclature committee any request for the conservation or
suppression of individual names, publications or nomenclatural acts (Art. 21),
and seek its opinion and advice before adopting any List (Art. 20)
or acting on any challenge of an epitype designation (Art. 16.5).
[1] Herbarium
Mediterraneum, c/o Orto Botanico, Via Lincoln 2/A, I-90123 Palermo, Italy; and
Botanischer Garten & Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Free University of
Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 6-8, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; e-mail:
w.greuter@bgbm.org.
[2] 6162 Biomedical & Physical
Sciences Bldg., Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-4320, USA;
e-mail: garrity@msu.edu.
[3] Departamento de Biología Vegetal II, Facultad de
Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Plaza Ramón y Cajal, Madrid 28040,
Spain; and Department of Botany, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London
SW7 5BD,UK; e-mail: d.hawksworth@nhm.ac.uk.
[4] Botanischer Garten & Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Free
University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 6-8, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; e-mail: r.jahn@bgbm.org.
[5] CAB International,
[6] Department of Botany,
[7]
[8] International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK; e-mail: iczn-em@nhm.ac.uk
[9] Biodiversity Informatics, Marine Biological
Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA; e-mail: dpatterson@mbl.edu.
[10] Department
of Natural Sciences,
[11] Deutsche Sammlung von
Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH, Mascheroder Weg 1b, D-38124
Braunschweig, Germany; e-mail: bti@dsmz.de.
[12] In
this Code, the term “fossil” is applied to a taxon when its name is based on a
fossil type and the term “non-fossil” is applied to a taxon when its name is
based on a non-fossil type.
[13] Protologue
(from the Greek protos, first; logos, discourse): everything associated with a
name in the publication in which it was established.
[14] Ambiregnal
organisms are those that are treated under more than one Special Code by different taxonomists.
[15] This Annex, and those referred to in Art. 21.4,
23.2, 33.3-4, and 34.1-3, will be prepared at later dates, and are not,
therefore, included in this Draft BioCode.
[16] Here and
elsewhere in this Code, the phrase “final epithet” refers to the last epithet
in sequence in any particular combination, in any rank lower than genus.