Bacillus crescens sp. nov., isolated from soil

Two bacterial strains (JC247T and JC248) were isolated from soil samples collected from Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India. Colonies of both strains were creamy white. Cells were Gram-stain-positive, rods-to-curved rods (crescent-shaped), and produced centrally located oval-shaped endospores. Major (>5 %) fatty acids of both strains were iso-C16  :  0, iso-C14  :  0, iso-C15  :  0, C16  :  1ω11c and C16  :  0, with minor ( < 5 but >1 %) amounts of anteiso-C15  :  0, anteiso-C17  :  0, iso-C16  :  1 H, iso-C17  :  0, iso-C18  :  0, C14  :  0, C17  :  0, C18  :  0, C18  :  1ω9c, iso-C17  :  1ω10c and anteiso-C17  :  0B/isoI. Diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol were the major polar lipids of both strains. Cell-wall amino acids were l-alanine, d-alanine, d-glutamic acid and meso-diaminopimelic acid. The genomic DNA G+C content of strains JC247T and JC248 was 48.2 and 48.1 mol%, respectively. Both strains were closely related with mean DNA-DNA hybridization >90 %. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of both strains indicated that they are members of the genus Bacillus within the family Bacillaceae of the phylum Firmicutes. Both strains had a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 96.93 % with Bacillus firmus NCIMB 9366T and < 96.92 % with other members of the genus Bacillus. Sequence similarity between strain JC247T and JC248 was 100 %. Distinct morphological, physiological and genotypic differences from previously described taxa support the classification of strains JC247T and JC248 as representatives of a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacilluscrescens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JC247T ( = KCTC 33627T = LMG 28608T).