Opinion 48: Rejection of the Name Aerobacter liquefaciens Beijerinck and Conservation of the Name Aeromonas Stanier with Aeromonas hydrophila as the Type Species

The name Aerobacter liquefaciens Beijerinck 1900 is regarded as a nomen dubium and, together with all objective synonyms of this name, is placed by the Judicial Commission on the list of rejected names. However, the species referred to by this name is the type species of the genus Aeromonas Kluyver and van Niel 1936. Because it is the only species that was placed in the genus by Kluyver and van Niel, no identifiable type species can be selected for this genus in accordance with the rules of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria. However, because Aeromonas has come into use for identifiable species named subsequently, one of these species may be selected by international agreement as the type species with the name Aeromonas being ascribed to the author of the name of the species designated as the type. Thus, Aeromonas hydrophila (Chester 1901) Stanier 1943 is designated by the Judicial Commission as the type species of Aeromonas, and R. Y. Stanier is designated as the author of this generic name. The name Aeromonas is not to be attributed to Kluyver and van Niel. ATCC 7966 is the neotype strain of A. hydrophila.