Lechevalieria atacamensis sp. nov., Lechevalieria deserti sp. nov. and Lechevalieria roselyniae sp. nov., isolated from hyper-arid soils

The taxonomic positions of three Lechevalieria strains isolated from hyper-arid soils of the Atacama Desert were established using a polyphasic approach. The organisms had chemical and morphological properties consistent with their classification in the genus Lechevalieria. They formed a distinct subclade in the Lechevalieria 16S rRNA gene clade and were most closely related to the type strain of Lechevalieria xinjiangensis (98.2% similarity). DNA:DNA pairing data showed that each of the isolates and Lechevalieria xinjiangensis DSM 45081(T) belong to distinct genomic species. The isolates and the type strains of Lechevalieria species were readily distinguished using a battery of phenotypic properties. A combination of the genotypic and phenotypic data showed that the three isolates belong to three new Lechevalieria species. It is proposed that these isolates be designated as Lechevalieria atacamensis sp. nov. (C61(T)= CGMCC 4.5536(T) = NRRL B-24706(T)), Lechevalieria deserti sp. nov. (C68(T)=CGMCC 4.5535(T) =NRRL B-24707(T)) and Lechevalieria roselyniae sp. nov. (C81(T)=CGMCC 4.5537(T) = NRRL B-24708(T)).