Rodentibacter caecimuris comb. nov., arising from the heterotypic synonymy between Pasteurella caecimuris Lagkouvardos et al. 2016 and Rodentibacter heylii Adhikary et al. 2017.

Abstract

The misclassification of the species Pasteurella caecimuris Lagkouvardos et al. 2016 along with the heterotypic synonymy between P. caecimuris and Rodentibacter heylii Adhikary et al. 2017 has long been recognized. However, no formal assignment of P. caecimuris to its correct taxonomic position has been made accordingly and therefore the nomenclatural consequences have not been implemented. In the present study, the author first re-evaluates the taxonomic relationships of P. caecimuris using genome-based approaches, confirming the need of reclassification to the genus Rodentibacter and presenting evidence of the synonymy between R. heylii and P. caecimuris. Next, the author proposes a new name Rodentibacter caecimuris comb. nov. and, based on the priority of their specific epithets, treats Rodentibacter heylii as a later heterotypic synonym of Rodentibacter caecimuris.