ICZN rules—a farewell to Tubificidae (Annelida, Clitellata)

Abstract

Morphological and molecular characters support that the former clitellate family Naididae Ehrenberg, 1828 is nested within another family, Tubificidae Vejdovský, 1876. To avoid paraphyly of the latter, it has been suggested that the two should be regarded as a single taxon. A recent decision by the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature [2007; opinion 2167 (Case 3305)] ruled against a proposed reversal of the nomenclatural priority of Naididae over Tubificidae, with the consequence that all former tubificids should now be regarded as members of the Naididae whenever these two names are regarded as synonyms. The paper is a plea to clitellate researchers to conform to this ruling.