What is "spp"?
toomey at denr1.igis.uiuc.edu
Sat Dec 23 11:08:27 EST 1995
bouck at ocean.fsu.edu (Lori Bouck) writes:
>It could also mean that the organism discussed in a paper has not been
>described and given an "official" name. The author of the paper may use
>Staphylococcus spp. because he or she recognizes that the organism belongs
>with Staphylococcus but is a new species.
>Lori A. Bouck
>bouck at ocean.fsu.edu
Based on my understanding this would not be correct usage. The
designation in the case you note should be Staphylococcus n. sp.
meaning Staph new species.
It is possible that for multiple undescribed species you might
use Staphylococcus n. spp.; however, this situation is usually
handled with Staph n. sp A, Staph n. sp. B, etc.
Illinois State Museum
toomey at museum.state.il.us
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