A nomenclatural type anchors a taxon name to a reference. In prokaryotic nomenclature, it need not be the most typical member. For a species this is normally a type strain; for a genus it is a designated species.[ref]
International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. Prokaryotic Code (2025 Revision) by Aharon Oren and others. Rule 15 and Table 2, Taxonomic Categories and their Types
A reference and a statistical representative need not coincide. Suppose a hypothetical group contains bacterial strains T, U and V, with a stipulated trait measured as 1, 10 and 11 arbitrary units. Its arithmetic mean is units. Designating T as the type strain does not require its measurement to be close to that mean. Conversely, choosing U because its value lies closer to the mean would not itself make U the designated reference.
The nomenclatural type also makes naming decisions interpretable when a taxon is divided or combined with another. It supplies an anchor for applying an existing name through a change of circumscription.[ref]
International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. Prokaryotic Code (2025 Revision) by Aharon Oren and others. Rule 17, application after division or union
The naming rules do not themselves delimit taxa or determine their biological relationships. Evidence about genomes and phenotypes supplies a different kind of information.[ref]
International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. Prokaryotic Code (2025 Revision) by Aharon Oren and others. General Consideration 4 and Principle 1(4)
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