Rule 30 of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) requires deposition of type strains in two publicly accessible culture collections in different countries as a condition of valid publication of the name, a requirement that structurally conflicts with access and benefit-sharing (ABS) legislation in biodiversity-rich nations. India's Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (amended 2023) exemplifies this conflict: researchers seeking to export isolates to satisfy Rule 30 must obtain National Biodiversity Authority approval, which routinely imposes use restrictions incompatible with the Code's unrestricted-access requirement. This review examines three pathways now available to researchers facing this constraint, traditional ICNP valid publication, the newly regulated Candidatus pro-status system under ICNP Section 10 (effective 2025), and the independent genome-based SeqCode, and evaluates their relative suitability for Indian microbial taxonomy. We find that while the policy-level mechanism connecting biodiversity law to nomenclatural non-compliance is well documented, case-level attribution for specific published Indian taxa remains largely unverified in the public record, a gap we identify and propose steps to close. We conclude with pathway-specific implementation recommendations for Indian repositories, researchers, and policy bodies, and note that the dual-code editorial policy of Systematic and Applied Microbiology, and a few other journals offers a comparatively low-friction venue for taxa affected by this conflict.
The families Clostridiaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Oscillospiraceae are key but poorly cultured constituents of the human gut microbiota. From healthy Chinese adults, four anaerobic strains (SJQ-1T, SJQ-5T, SJQ-6T, and SJQ-8T) were isolated. 16S rRNA gene phylogeny placed SJQ-1T and SJQ-5T in Clostridiaceae, SJQ-6T in Lachnospiraceae, and SJQ-8T in Oscillospiraceae. Genomic comparisons (16S rRNA gene similarity, ANI, AAI, and dDDH) indicated they represent novel species or genera. Their closest relatives are the “Anaeromassilibacillus senegalensis” mt9ᵀ (a non-validly published genus name), the Jutongia huaianensis NSJ-37ᵀ, and the Flintibacter porci P01025ᵀ, respectively. Strain SJQ-5ᵀ exhibited ANI/AAI/dDDH values far below genus boundaries, supporting a novel genus. All strains produced short-chain fatty acids and displayed distinct carbon utilization and enzymatic profiles. Based on those results, we propose new taxa Alvibacillus kangbaii gen. Nov., sp. nov. for type strain SJQ-1T and Dizhoua hominis gen. Nov., sp. nov. for type strain SJQ-5ᵀ, and 2 other new species Jutongia huiwenae sp. nov. (type strain SJQ-6ᵀ) and Flintibacter aciditolerans sp. nov. (type strain SJQ-8ᵀ). This study expands the cultured diversity of the order Eubacteriales and provides new bioresources and taxonomic foundation for future mechanistic and functional investigations.
The deep-sea biosphere hosts distinctive microbial communities with specialized adaptive traits, yet the mechanisms underpinning their physiological survival remain largely obscure. In this study a novel Gram-stain-positive, aerobic bacterium, designated strain SKLECPSW1T, was isolated from the Eastern Indian Ocean at a depth of 5318 m. The strain grows optimally at 32 °C and has a DNA G + C content of 70.0 mol%. Its major fatty acids are C16:0, C18:1 ω9c, and 10-methyl-C18:0. Genome analysis revealed a versatile metabolic repertoire, including complete central carbon metabolic pathways, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), anaplerotic CO₂ fixation, and multiple genes associated with environmental stress responses. Furthermore, CAZyme profiling and 12 putative biosynthetic regions suggested potential for complex carbohydrate processing and secondary-metabolite biosynthesis. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain SKLECPSW1T shared the highest sequence similarity with Williamsia aurantiaca B375T (98.3%). Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) and digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) values with related Williamsia species ranged from 71.15% to 83.35% and 18.8% to 26.6%, respectively, supporting its novel status. Metagenomic analysis of 25 deep-ocean datasets showed broad high-identity genome-wide recruitment in 2 samples, with breadths of 45.60% and 34.64% at ≥95% nucleotide identity, remaining 42.76% and 34.09% at ≥97.5%. Complementary marker-gene analyses further supported the occurrence of low-abundance environmental populations related to W. profundi in these two samples. Collectively, strain SKLECPSW1T represents a novel species, for which the name Williamsia profundi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SKLECPSW1T (= MCCC 1K09832T = JCM 37991T).
Insects host diverse and distinctive communities of gut mutualistic bacteria, including lactic acid bacteria of the Lactobacillus genus. Recently, most research in the insect microbial taxonomy has focused on identifying novel Lactobacillaceae species in managed insects such as Apis mellifera and few species of Bombus spp. from North America, Europe, and China. However, the gut microbiota of wild insects remains largely unexplored. Yet, insects represent the largest animal class and a vast, untouched source of novel microbial symbionts, especially in wild populations. This study focuses on the isolation and characterization of novel Lactobacillaceae strains from wild and solitary insects, such as the carpenter bee (Xylocopa violacea), the strawberry seed beetle (Harpalus rufipes), and the giant honeybee (Apis dorsata). Full-genome sequencing and annotation, including investigation of distinctive functional traits, were performed for these strains, along with phenotypic characterization of sugar fermentation, enzymatic activity, cellular fatty acid profiles and G + C content. Phylogenetic relationships were determined using 16S rRNA gene sequences and core genome computation, which confirmed the classification of novel taxa within the Lactobacillus genus. From the aforementioned insect species, three novel Lactobacillus species were isolated and characterized: Lactobacillus xylocopae XV31L (= DSM 120036T = MSCL 1776T) and Lactobacillus pollinatoris XV13L (= DSM 104957 T = LMG 30141T) from X. violacea, and CA30L (= DSM 119968R = MSCL 1777R) from H. rufipes, and Lactobacillus apisdorsatae C449L (= VTT E-263657 T = MSCL 1775T = NCCB 101125T) from A. dorsata.
