Proposal of Bacillus reuszeri sp. nov., Bacillus formosus sp. nov., nom. rev., and Bacillus borstelensis sp. nov., nom. rev.

Taxonomic studies of 26 putative Bacillus brevis strains (12 strains formerly assigned to groups 2, 4 through 7, and B and 14 ungrouped strains) were carried out. These organisms were placed in five distinct groups on the basis of phenotypic characteristics, the results of DNA base composition and reassociation analyses, and the results of cellular fatty acid and isoprenoid quinone composition analyses. Group 2, which contained three strains, was identified as Bacillus choshinensis, and group 4, which contained one strain, was identified as Bacillus parabrevis. The three remaining unidentified groups were clearly distinguishable phenotypically and genetically from the type strains of B. brevis and the recently described species Bacillus agri, Bacillus centrosporus, Bacillus migulanus, Bacillus choshinensis, and Bacillus parabrevis. Therefore, the names Bacillus reuszeri sp. nov., Bacillus formosus sp. nov., nom. rev., and Bacillus borstelensis sp. nov., nom. rev. are proposed for groups 5 (3 strains), 6 (3 strains), and 7 (16 strains), respectively. The S-layer proteins found in the three new species were immunologically and genetically similar to the S-layer proteins found previously in B. brevis, B. agri, B. centrosporus, B. choshinensis, and B. parabrevis. The G+C content of NRRL NRS-1206, the type strain of B. reuszeri sp. nov., was 46.5 mol%; the G+C content of NRRL NRS-863, the type strain of B. formosus sp. nov., nom. rev., was 47.2 mol%; and the G+C content of NRRL NRS-818, the type strain of B. borstelensis sp. nov., nom. rev., was 51.3 mol%.