Potential pitfalls in claiming novel taxa

Prokaryotic taxonomy based on short 16S rRNA sequences may lead to an overestimation of microbial diversity. In addition, a lack of sufficient coverage of previously reported taxa may lead to repetition or overestimation of novel taxa. In light of a recent study published in iMeta, we have issued a comment to remind microbial taxonomists of the importance of maintaining rigor and precision when delineating microbial species, urging researchers to avoid imprecise approaches.