Gen. Nov., Sp. Nov., a Novel Fructophilic Lactic Acid Bacterium from Bumble Bees

Strain LMG 33000 was isolated from a gut sample. It shared the highest percentage 16S rRNA sequence identity, average amino acid identity, and amino acid identity of conserved genes with LMG 28291 (95.86 %, 69.9 and 76.2 %, respectively), and the highest percentage OrthoANIu value with DSM 20349 (71.4 %). Phylogenomic analyses by means of 107 or 120 conserved genes consistently revealed as nearest neighbour genus. The draft genome of strain LMG 33000 was 1.44 Mbp in size and had a DNA G+C content of 46.1 mol%. Genomic and physiological analyses revealed that strain LMG 33000 was a typical obligately fructophilic lactic acid bacterium that lacked the and genes and that did not produce ethanol during glucose or fructose metabolism. In contrast, species have the and genes in their genomes and produced ethanol from glucose and fructose metabolism, which is typical for heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria. Moreover, strain LMG 33000 exhibited catalase activity, an unusual characteristic among lactic acid bacteria, that is not shared with species. Given its position in the phylogenomic trees, and the difference in genomic percentage G+C content and in physiological and metabolic characteristics between strain LMG 33000 and species, we considered it most appropriate to classify strain LMG 33000 into a novel genus and species within the family for which we propose the name gen. nov., sp. nov., with LMG 33000 (=CECT 30958) as the type strain.