Bacteria and Viruses 71 



Rules 14a, 14b. Sec. 3. Publication of Names 



RULE 14a. The name of a species is validly published only when its publi- 

 cation conforms to the following requirements: 



(1) It must be published as a binary combination consisting of a generic 

 name followed by a single specific epithet. 



(2) It must be accompanied by a description of the species or by citation 

 of a previously and efFectively published description. 



RULE 14b. The name of a subspecies (variety) is validly published only when its 

 publication conforms to the following requirements: 



(1) It must be published as a ternary combination consisting of a generic 

 name followed by a single specific epithet and this in turn by a 

 single subspecific epithet. 



(2) It must be accompanied by a description of the subspecies or by 

 citation of a previously and effectively published description. 



(3) The author must clearly state or indicate that a subspecies is being 

 named. 



ANNOTATIONS 



Rule 14a. This rule in effect states that to be validly published and 

 hence to have standing in bacteriological nomenclature the name of 

 a species must conform to the requirement of Rule 6 that the name 

 of the genus shall be followed by a single specific epithet. If followed 

 by more than one specific epithet the species name is not a binary 

 combination, does not conform to the binomial system of nomen- 

 clature, and is not validly published. A specific epithet, as noted 

 under the Annotations of Rule 6, may consist of two or more related 

 words which should be written solid or hyphenated. 



Rule 14b. This rule is intended to obviate the confusion resulting 

 from the naming of many microorganisms in the past. In some cases 

 it is very difficult, if not impossible, to determine whether an author 

 is proposing an illegitimate ternary combination as the name of a 

 species or a legitimate ternary combination as the name of a sub- 

 species. When a species is divided into subspecies, the subspecific 

 epithet of the name of the subspecies which includes the type of the 

 species must be the same as the specific epithet. The rule requires 

 that an author, when he names a new subspecies, make clear that the 

 ternary combination is that of a subspecies. (See Annotations under 

 Rule 7.) One of the difficult tasks of the systematic bacteriologist in 

 the future is to determine in the older literature of bacteriology the 

 legitimate names of subspecies, and to discard the illegitimate ternary 

 combinations used for names of species. Many cases will of necessity 

 be reviewed by the Judicial Commission and Opinions rendered in 

 order to remedy nomenclatural confusion. 



