Two species of the genus Deinococcus, namely Deinococcus wulumuqiensis Wang et al. 2010 and Deinococcus xibeiensis Wang et al. 2010, were simultaneously proposed and described in the same publication. However, the identical 16S rRNA gene sequence of the two type strains strongly raised the probability of their relatedness at the species level. Thus, the genomic relatedness of the two species of the genus Deinococcus was investigated here to clarify their taxonomic status. The high (99.9 %) average nucleotide identity (ANI) between the genome sequences of the two type strains suggested that the two species are synonymous. Additional phenotypic data including enzymic activities and substrate-utilization profiles showed no pronounced differences between the type strains of the two species. Data from this study demonstrated that the two taxa constitute a single species. According to Rule 42 of the Bacteriological Code, we propose that D. xibeiensis Wang et al. 2010 should be reclassified as a subjective heterotypic synonym of D. wulumuqiensis Wang et al. 2010.
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