Myxococcus llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochensis

Myxococcus llanfair­pwll­gwyn­gyll­go­gery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­gochensis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Myxococcota
Class:	Myxococcia
Order:	Myxococcales
Family:	Myxococcaceae
Genus:	Myxococcus
Species:	M. llanfair­pwll­gwyn­gyll­go­gery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­gochensis
Binomial name
Myxococcus llanfair­pwll­gwyn­gyll­go­gery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­gochensis Chambers et al. 2020

Myxococcus llanfair­pwll­gwyn­gyll­go­gery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­gochensis is a gram-negative, rod-shaped species of myxobacteria found in soil.[1] It is a predator on other bacteria.

The ends of the rod-shaped vegetative cells taper slightly. The colonies are usually pale brown and show swarming motility. It produces orange, roughly spherical fruiting bodies. A draft sequence of its genome[2] showed significant differences from all previously known species of the genus Myxococcus.

The species was isolated from soil collected near the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, on the island of Anglesey in North Wales, and its specific name was given after the settlement's 58-character lengthened name (Llanfair­pwll­gwyn­gyll­go­gery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch),[1] which is the longest in Europe.[3]

The scientific name of this bacterial species is considered the longest name in the binomial nomenclature system, bearing 73 letters in total.[4]^[self-published source]

The species name has been criticized for not following recommendations in the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes, that specifies that long and difficult to pronounce names should be avoided.[5] Since the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology plays an important role in nomenclature validation,[5] some critics have argued that the species name can not be considered valid before being published in that Journal.[4] With its publication in a list in 2021, the name was confirmed as valid.[6]

See also

• List of long species names

References

1. Chambers, James; Sparks, Natalie; Sydney, Natasha; Livingstone, Paul G.; Cookson, Alan R.; Whitworth, David E. (6 October 2020). "Comparative genomics and pan-genomics of the Myxococcaceae, including a description of five novel species: Myxococcus eversor sp. nov., Myxococcus llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochensis sp. nov., Myxococcus vastator sp. nov., Pyxidicoccus caerfyrddinensis sp. nov. and Pyxidicoccus trucidator sp. nov". Genome Biology and Evolution. 12 (12): 2289–2302. doi:10.1093/gbe/evaa212. PMC 7846144. PMID 33022031.
2. "Myxococcus sp. overview". GenBank. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
3. Hoeller, Sophie-Claire (12 September 2015). "Here's the story behind the 58-letter town name in Wales that everyone is talking about". Business Insider. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
4. ScientistSeesSquirrel (2020-10-20). "A new (and unfortunate) record: the longest Latin name". Scientist Sees Squirrel. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
5. Oren, Aharon (2023-04-01). "Naming new taxa of prokaryotes in the 21st century". Canadian Journal of Microbiology. 69 (4): 151–157. doi:10.1139/cjm-2022-0266. ISSN 0008-4166. PMID 36852830. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
6. Oren, Aharon; Garrity, George M. (2021). "Valid publication of new names and new combinations effectively published outside the IJSEM". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 71 (9): 004943. doi:10.1099/ijsem.0.004943. ISSN 1466-5034. PMID 34596501.