34 
Genus SPIRILLUM Ehrenberg, 1830. 
[Not Spirilla Humph., 1797, mollusk; not Spirillum Oken, 1815, worm; not Spirillus 
Schlut, 1838, mollusk.] 
1830: Spirillum Ehrenberg, 1830a, 58; type by absolute tautonvmy, Vibrio spirillum. 
This genus was originally published with the diagnosis, “corpore 
filiforme rigido spirali,” and contained two species, namely: 
1. Spirillum volutans Ehrenberg, equals Vibrio spirillum Muller, renamed. 
2. Spirillum undula (Muller, 1773), namely, Vibrio undula. 
Judged from the zoological point of view, Vibrio sjpirillum is the 
type species by absolute tautonvmy, but the zoological name Spiril- 
lum , 1830, was a stillborn homonym, having been used by Oken, 1815, 
for a genus of polychsete worms. It is not the function of the zoolog- 
ical code to determine the names in bacteriology, but it is undoubtedly 
not the most wise or farseeing policy for either zoologists or botan- 
ists (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 Spirillum , 1830, would be rejected. 
If Spirillum is retained in bacteriology, consistency calls for the rejec- 
tion of the name Spirillum volutans Ehrenberg in favor of Spirillum 
spirillum (Muller). 
Genus SPIRODISCUS Ehrenberg, 1830a. 
[Not Spirodiscus Stein, 1850, mollusk.] 
Only, hence type species Spirodiscus fulvus Ehrenberg, 1830a, 85. 
Genus SPIROCHMETA Ehrenberg, 1834. 
[Not Spirochseta Sars., 1856, worm.] 
1834: Spirochseta Ehrenberg, 1834a, 169. Only, hence type species Spirochseta plicatilis 
Ehrenberg, 1834; type locality, Berlin, Germany, in water. 
1841: Spirochceta Dujardin, 1841a, 225; for Spirochseta. 
1872: Spirochsete Cohn, 1872, 180; for Spirochseta. 
This genus originally contained only one species; hence there can be 
no question as to the type. This species figures in literature as Spi- 
rochseta plicatilis , Spirillum plicatile , and Spirulina plicatilis. The 
generic name preoccupies Spirochseta Sars., 1856, worm. 
Since Ehrenberg described Spirochseta several new species have 
been added to the genus. Should future investigations result in a 
division of the group the name Spirochseta must be preserved for 
the subdivision containing S. plicatilis. 
