Editing Division (taxonomy) (section)

==Viruses and prokaryotes==

In 2020, the [[International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses]] (ICTV) formalised a 15-rank hierarchical classification system, ranging from the highest rank "[[realm (virology)|realm]]" (rather than [[Domain (biology)|domain]]) down through the lower ranks, notably using "phylum" rather than "division". Under this system, the first viral realm established was ''[[Riboviria]]'', encompassing all [[RNA virus]]es that encode an [[RNA-directed RNA polymerase]].<ref name="ICTV 2000"/>

In 2021, the [[International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes]] (ICNP) formally included the rank of phylum for the first time, adopting the [[suffix]] "-ota" for phylum names. This led to the publication of names for 46 prokaryotic phyla with [[microbiological culture|cultured]] representatives, replacing some established names with [[neologism]]s – for example, "[[Proteobacteria]]" became "[[Pseudomonadota]]" and "[[Firmicutes]]" became "[[Bacillota]]".<ref name="Pallen 2024"/>