Necessity and rationale for the proposed name changes in the classification of species. Reply to: 'Recommended rejection of the names gen. nov., gen. nov., gen. nov., fam. nov., fam. nov., ord. nov., gen. nov., gen. nov. [Gupta, Sawnani, Adeolu, Alnajar and Oren 2018] and all proposed species comb. nov. placed therein', by M. Balish . (, 2019;69:3650-3653).

This response summarizes the highly disordered state of the taxonomy that existed until recently, where most taxa lacked proper circumscriptions and their names were not in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes and illegitimate. We also summarize the comprehensive phylogenomic and comparative genomic studies forming the basis for the proposed changes in the classification of species. Our responses to the concerns raised by Balish ., show that the proposed taxonomic changes do not violate any essential point of the Code. Instead the proposed name changes rectify numerous taxonomic anomalies that have long plagued the classification of s species, leading to a better understanding of their evolutionary relationships and bringing their nomenclature in conformity with the Code.