TRANSFER OF THE TYPE SPECIES OF THE GENUS THERMOBACTEROIDES TO THE GENUS THERMOANAEROBACTER AS THERMOANAEROBACTER-ACETOETHYLICUS (BEN-BASSAT AND ZEIKUS 1981) COMB-NOV, DESCRIPTION OF COPROTHERMOBACTER GEN-NOV, AND RECLASSIFICATION OF THERMOBACTEROIDES-PROTEOLYTICUS AS COPROTHERMOBACTER-PROTEOLYTICUS (OLLIVIER ET-AL 1985) COMB-NOV

Phylogenetic and phenotypic evidence demonstrates the taxonomic heterogeneity of the genus Thermobacteroides and indicates a close relationship between Thermobacteroides acetoethylicus and members of the genus Thermoanaerobacter. Since T. acetoethylicus is the type species of Thermobacteroides, its removal invalidates the genus. As a consequence, the remaining species Thermobacteroides proteolyticus is proposed as the type species of the new genus Coprothermobacter gen. nov., as Coprothermobacter proteolyticus comb. nov.