What is LPSN (List of Prokaryotic Names with Standing in Nomenclature)?

Updated

LPSN is a free-to-use database of prokaryotic nomenclature — the names of bacteria and archaea and the rules and records behind them. It is the reference you check when you need to confirm whether a prokaryotic name is validly published, what its correct spelling is, and how it sits in the taxonomic hierarchy. It is maintained at DSMZ and is recognized as both a Global Core Biodata Resource and an ELIXIR Core Data Resource.

What LPSN covers

LPSN provides comprehensive information on the nomenclature of prokaryotes, and according to the site, "much more." In practice, its core content is:

  • Names with standing in nomenclature — names that are validly published under the rules governing prokaryotic nomenclature.
  • Taxonomic hierarchy — you can browse by rank: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species, plus rarely used categories.
  • Nomenclatural metadata — including etymology, collections, and copyright information.
  • Recommended names for medical bacteria — a separate curated list for bacteria of medical importance.

Who runs it and where the data comes from

LPSN was founded in 1997 by Jean P. Euzéby and later maintained by Aidan C. Parte. Jean Paul Euzéby passed away on 27 October 2025.

Since February 2020, the regularly augmented LPSN database at DSMZ has been the basis of the current LPSN service. That database was originally implemented for the Type-Strain Genome Server and was augmented in 2018 to store all kinds of nomenclatural information. Data from the earlier version of LPSN and from the Prokaryotic Nomenclature Up-to-date (PNU) service — itself a DSMZ service dating to 1993 — were imported into the new system.

How to navigate it

The site states that navigating LPSN is easy. The main entry points are:

Entry point Use it when
Browse by rank You want to move down the hierarchy from domain to species
Advanced search You have a specific name, author, or field to look up
Statistics You want counts and coverage of the database
Downloads You need bulk data rather than a single lookup
API You are integrating LPSN data into a tool or pipeline

There is also a mailing list you can subscribe to for updates.

Citing LPSN correctly

The citation depends on what you used:

  • For the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance, cite: Göker, M., Christensen, H., Fingerle, V., Kostovski, M., Margos, G., Moore, E.R.B., Oren, A., Patrick, S., Reischl, U., Vázquez-Boland, J.A. (2025). Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, 75:6943; DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.006943
  • For other aspects of LPSN, including the API, cite: Freese, H.M., Meier-Kolthoff, J.P., Sardà Carbasse, J., Afolayan, A.O., Göker, M. (2026). Nucleic Acids Research, 54, D884–D891; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaf1110

Practical notes

  • It is free to use — the site describes itself as a free-to-use service. The only "subscribe" link on the page is for the mailing list, not for paid access.
  • If the page looks broken after a redesign, the site advises pressing Ctrl+F5 (or equivalent) to fully reload and clear the cached version.
  • LPSN is nomenclature, not classification alone — it tells you what a name is and whether it stands, which is why it is the standard check before publishing a new prokaryotic name or using one in a paper.