Reclassification of Bacillus axarquiensis Ruiz-García et al. 2005 and Bacillus malacitensis Ruiz-García et al. 2005 as later heterotypic synonyms of Bacillus mojavensis Roberts et al. 1994

The Bacillus subtilis group encompasses the taxa Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis, B. licheniformis, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. atrophaeus, B. mojavensis, B. vallismortis, B. subtilis subsp. spizizenii, B. sonorensis, B. velezensis, B. axarquiensis and B. malacitensis. In this study, the taxonomic relatedness between the species B. axarquiensis, B. malacitensis and B. mojavensis was investigated. Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and the gene for DNA gyrase subunit B (gyrB) confirmed the very high similarities between these three type strains and a reference strain of B. mojavensis (>99 and >97 %, respectively). DNA-DNA hybridization experiments revealed high relatedness values between the type strains of B. axarquiensis, B. malacitensis and B. mojavensis and between these strains and a reference strain of B. mojavensis (83-98 %). Based on these molecular taxonomic data and the lack of phenotypic distinctive characteristics, Bacillus axarquiensis and Bacillus malacitensis should be reclassified as later heterotypic synonyms of Bacillus mojavensis.