Lactococcus insecticola sp. nov. and Lactococcus hodotermopsidis sp. nov., isolated from the gut of the wood-feeding lower termite Hodotermopsis sjostedti

Two strains of lactic acid bacteria, designated Hs20B0-1 T and Hs30E4-3 T , were isolated from the gut of the damp-wood termite Hodotermopsis sjostedti . These strains were characterized genetically and phenotypically. Strain Hs20B0-1 T was related to Lactococcus piscium DSM 6634 T showing 96.3 and 84.2 % sequence similarity in 16S rRNA gene and rpoB gene sequences, respectively. Strain Hs30E4-3 T was related to Lactococcus plantarum DSM 20686 T showing 94.8 and 82.2 % sequence similarity in 16S rRNA gene and rpoB gene sequences, respectively. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strains Hs20B0-1 T and Hs30E4-3 T was 95.7 %. Furthermore, genomic comparisons using pairwise average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA–DNA hybridization (DDH) analyses between strain Hs20B0-1 T and L. piscium DSM 6634 T resulted in values of 73.5 and 20.1 %, respectively. Strain Hs30E4-3 T had 72.8 % ANI similarity and 21.3 % DDH similarity to L. plantarum DSM 20686 T . Strains Hs20B0-1 T and Hs30E4-3 T had 75.4 % ANI similarity and 21.1 % DDH similarity to each other. The cell-wall peptidoglycan types of strains Hs20B0-1 T and Hs30E4-3 T were A4α, Lys-Asp and A3α, Lys–Thr–Ala, respectively. The two strains, Hs20B0-1 T and Hs30E4-3 T , are distinguishable from each other and other established Lactococcus species phylogenetically and phenotypically. In conclusion, two novel species of the genus Lactococcus are proposed, namely Lactococcus insecticola Hs20B0-1 T (=JCM 33485 T =DSM 110147 T ) and Lactococcus hodotermopsidis Hs30E4-3 T (=JCM 33486 T =DSM 110148 T ), respectively.