Eubacterium rectale is one of the most abundant bacterial species recovered from human faeces. E. rectale (Hauduroy et al. 1937) appears in the 'List of Bacterial Names with Standing in Nomenclature', but it is noted that the originally proposed type strain, VPI 0989(T), has been lost and its possible replacement by another strain (VPI 0990) from the same faecal sample has never been formally proposed. It is therefore proposed that strain A1-86 (=DSM 17629=NCIMB 14373), isolated from human adult faeces, be formally recognized as the neotype strain of Eubacterium rectale.