Elevation of three subspecies of Lonsdalea quercina to species level: Lonsdalea britannica sp. nov., Lonsdalea iberica sp. nov. and Lonsdalea populi sp. nov

Abstract

Four subspecies of Lonsdalea quercina (L. quercina subsp. quercina, L. quercina subsp. britannica, L. quercina subsp. iberica and L. quercina subsp. populi) were studied by genome sequence-derived average nucleotide identity (ANI), phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) and phenotypic characteristics. In phylogenetic trees, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, and in MLSA data, the four subspecies were divided into four subclusters in the Lonsdalea clade with high boot strap support. The ANI values between the four subspecies were 88.71-93.38 %, respectively, lower than the proposed species boundary ANI cut-off (95-96 %) that is considered the most important criterion to reclassify these subspecies at the species level. It is proposed that three subspecies be elevated to the species level as Lonsdalea britannica sp. nov. (type strain R-43280^T=LMG 26267^T=NCPPB 4481^T=CFCC 10822^T), Lonsdalea iberica sp. nov. (type strain R-44166^T=LMG 26264^T=NCPPB 4490^T=CFCC 10824^T) and Lonsdalea populi sp. nov. (type strain NY060^T=DSM 25466^T=NCAIM B 02483^T=LMG 27349^T=CFCC 13125^T).

Keywords: Lonsdalea quercina; plant pathogen; reclassification.