Bacteria and Viruses 153 



Appendix C. Opinion 9. 



OPINION 9 



Conservation of the Bacterial Generic 



Name Gallionella 



The species name Gallionella ferruginea Ehrenberg 1838 was applied 

 by the author to an organism which he erroneously regarded as a 

 diatom, later shown to belong with the bacteria. A Preliminary 

 Statement (1952) by the Editorial Board pointed out that the name 

 Gallionella was an altered spelling (probably an attempt at better 

 Latinization of the name Gaillonelle) of the earlier generic name 

 Gaillonella. The ascription of an iron bacterium to a genus of dia- 

 toms caused Griffith (1853) to propose the new generic name Didymo- 

 helix for the species D. ferruginea (Ehrenberg) Griffith. The generic 

 name Didymohelix has not been commonly accepted or used by 

 bacteriologists, the species name Gallionella ferruginea has almost 

 universally been used. The name Gallionella for a genus of diatoms 

 has quite disappeared in the literature of algology. 



The botanist's subcommittee on Bacillariophyta (diatoms) pro- 

 posed that the generic name Gaillonella Bory (1823) be placed on the 

 list of botanical nomina rejicienda. The reasons for and the impli- 

 cations of this action were ably analyzed by Ross (1952) . This re- 

 jection also automatically rejects Gallionella as a generic name of 

 diatoms. It was suggested that there remained no botanical reason 

 for any "objection to conserving Gallionella in the sense of a genus 

 typified by G. ferruginea Ehrenberg." 



The Judicial Commission at the meeting 5th September 1953, in 

 Rome approved the conservation of Gallionella Ehrenberg as a bac- 

 terial generic name. 



Opinion 9. 



Gallionella Ehrenberg is placed in the list of conserved names of bacterial 

 genera (nomina generum conservando) with the type species Gallionella 

 ferruginea Ehrenberg. 



REFERENCES 



Bory de St. Vincent. Diet. Classique d'Hist. Nat. 4:Wi. 1823. 



Editorial Board. Status of Gallionella Ehrenberg as a generic name in bac- 

 teriology. Prelim. Statement File No. 49. Int. Bull. Bact. Nomen. and 

 Tax. 2 (3) :96-103. 1952. 



. Summary of Opinions and Preliminary Statements. Ibid. 3 (2, 3) :80- 



81. 1953. 



Ehrenberg, C. G. Die Infusionsthierchen als voUkommene Organismen. p. 166. 

 Leipzig. 1838. 



Griffith, J. W. On Gallionella ferruginea (Ehrenberg) . Ann. and Mag. Nat. 

 Hist. Ser. 2. 72:438. 1853. 



Joint Secretaries. Minutes of the Judicial Commission meetings held at 

 Rome in connection with the VI International Congress for Micro- 

 biology, Sept. 1953. Internatl. Bull. Bact. Nomen. and Tax. 3 (4) :150. 

 1953. 



