How to Search Prokaryotic Names and Taxonomy on LPSN

Updated

LPSN (List of Prokaryotic Names with Standing in Nomenclature) lets you look up prokaryotic names and taxonomy in two main ways: browse by taxonomic rank (domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species) or use the Advanced search for more targeted queries. Both paths are available from the main navigation, and the site is described as free to use. If you already know the name you want, start with Advanced search; if you are exploring a group, start with Browse by rank.

Browsing by taxonomic rank

Use this when you want to move down the classification hierarchy rather than look up a single name.

  1. Open the LPSN homepage.
  2. In the main navigation, select Browse by rank.
  3. Choose a rank: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, or Species.
  4. Continue selecting entries to move down the hierarchy until you reach the taxon you need.

Expected result: you land on the page for that taxon, with its nomenclatural information.

Note that LPSN also lists Rarely used categories alongside the standard ranks. These are separate from the main rank list, so check there if a taxon does not appear under the standard ranks.

Using Advanced search

Use this when you have a partial or specific name and want to narrow results directly.

  1. Open the LPSN homepage.
  2. Select Advanced search in the main navigation.
  3. Enter your search terms and run the query.
  4. Open the matching result to view its nomenclature and related information.

Expected result: a filtered set of matching names or taxa, from which you open the specific record.

Other sections worth knowing

Beyond the two search paths, the main navigation includes dedicated sections that answer different questions:

Section Use it for
Nomenclature Nomenclatural information on prokaryotes
Etymology The meaning and origin of names
Collections Curated groupings of names
Statistics Aggregate data about the database
Downloads Downloadable data
FAQ Common questions about using LPSN
Submit / Contact Contributing or reaching the maintainers

There is also a List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance, which has its own citation (Göker et al., 2025, Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.006943). Cite that list specifically when you use it.

Citing LPSN

When you use LPSN generally — including its API — cite:

Freese, H.M., Meier-Kolthoff, J.P., Sardà Carbasse, J., Afolayan, A.O., Göker, M. (2026). TYGS and LPSN in 2025: a Global Core Biodata Resource for genome-based classification and nomenclature of prokaryotes within DSMZ Digital Diversity. Nucleic Acids Research, 54, D884–D891; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaf1110

Common snags

  • Stale page after a redesign. LPSN notes that you may need to press Ctrl+F5 (or the equivalent hard refresh) in your browser to fully load the new page. If navigation looks broken or incomplete, refresh first.
  • A taxon is not under the expected rank. Check the Rarely used categories list before assuming the record is missing.
  • You need updates. LPSN offers a Subscribe option via its mailing list if you want to follow changes.

Background in brief

LPSN was founded in 1997 by Jean P. Euzéby and later maintained by Aidan C. Parte. Since February 2020, the regularly augmented LPSN database at DSMZ has been the basis of the service, implemented for the Type-Strain Genome Server and augmented in 2018 to store all kinds of nomenclatural information. Data from the earlier LPSN version and from the Prokaryotic Nomenclature Up-to-date (PNU) service were imported into the new system. LPSN is a Global Core Biodata Resource (recognized December 2023) and an ELIXIR Core Data Resource (recognized January 2026), supported by the ICSP.