474 GENERAL SYSTEMATIC BACTERIOLOGY 



Endospore formation has been reported in some species. Habitat ; water or putrid 

 infusions. 



Buchanan (1918, p. 179) includes the genus as the second in the 

 family Spirillaceae with the description: 



Cells definitely spiral, not enlarged at center, motile by means of 5 to 20 polar 

 flagella, or non-motile. Not readily cultivated in ordinary culture media. 

 The type species is Spirillum undula (Miiller) Ehrenberg. 



This designation of type was also accepted by Winslow et al. (Com. 

 Soc. Am. Bact., 1920, p. 204) and Bergey et al. (1923, p. 82). 



It should be noted that from the standpoint of zoological nomen- 

 clature, Spirillum was invaUd as a generic designation for a protozoan. 

 Stiles (1905, p. 34) says: 



Judged from the zoological point of view, Vibrio spirillum is the type species 

 by absolute tautonymy, but the zoological name Spirillum, 1830 was a stillborn 

 homonyn, having been used by Oken, 1815, for a genus of polychaete worms. It 

 is not the function of the zoological code to determine the names in bacteriology, 

 but it is undoubtedly not the most wise or farseeing policy for either zoologists or 

 botanists (including bacteriologists) to accept unnecessarily a generic name for 

 organisms so near the border line when that name is a homonym in either zoology 

 or botany; should further investigations again bring bacteriology into zoology, 

 the generic names would come under the zoological code, and in this case Spirit 

 lum, 1830, would be rejected. If Spirillum is retained in bacteriology, consist- 

 ency calls for the rejection of the name Spirillum volutans Ehrenberg in favor of 

 Spirillum spirillum (Miiller). 



Stiles is in error in holding that the type species should be called 

 Spirillum spirillum for Article 55 of the Brussel's Code reads "Specific 

 names must also be rejected .... when they merely repeat 

 the generic name." The opposite is true in zoology. 



The question whether the fact that Spirillum was a homonym when 

 first given by Ehrenberg should invaUdate its use for Ehrenberg's 

 types in bacteriology in one which is not adequately answered by the 

 botanical code. Its general acceptance by bacteriologists would argue 

 against its being discarded. 



The generic name Spirillum may probably be regarded as valid. 



Probably the designation of Spirillum volutans Ehr. as the type by 

 Stiles (1905) is valid, and has priority over the designation of Spirillum 

 undula Ehr. by Buchanan, Vuillemin and the Committee. 



Spirobacillus. A generic name proposed by Metschnikoff (1889, p. 

 61) for an organism Spirobacillus cienkowskii. This organism was 

 found in Daphnia producing a disease which colored this entomostracan 



