diff --git a/src/particle/particle/particle.py b/src/particle/particle/particle.py
index f41c7f9d..270f1d55 100644
--- a/src/particle/particle/particle.py
+++ b/src/particle/particle/particle.py
@@ -1117,7 +1117,11 @@ def from_nucleus_info(
         pdgid = int(1e9 + l_strange * 1e5 + z * 1e4 + a * 10 + i)
 
         if anti:
-            return cls.from_pdgid(-pdgid)
+            pdgid = -pdgid
+
+        # replace nucleon ids of single hadrons with quark version
+        if pdgid in _PREFERRED_PDGID:
+            pdgid = _PREFERRED_PDGID[pdgid]
 
         return cls.from_pdgid(pdgid)
 
diff --git a/tests/particle/test_particle.py b/tests/particle/test_particle.py
index 97ea7c0a..5951d32d 100644
--- a/tests/particle/test_particle.py
+++ b/tests/particle/test_particle.py
@@ -171,6 +171,10 @@ def test_from_nucleus_info():
     p = Particle.from_nucleus_info(1, 2, anti=True)
     assert p.pdgid == -1000010020
 
+    # proton and neutron should return the preferred quark representation
+    assert Particle.from_nucleus_info(a=1, z=1).pdgid == 2212
+    assert Particle.from_nucleus_info(a=1, z=0).pdgid == 2112
+
 
 def test_from_nucleus_info_ParticleNotFound():
     with pytest.raises(ParticleNotFound):