A novel actinomycete, designated strain 1H-SSA4T, was isolated from the head of an ant (Camponotus japonicus Mayr) and was found to produce angucyclinone antibiotics. A polyphasic approach was used to determine the taxonomic status of strain 1H-SSA4T. The DNA G+C content of the draft genome sequence, consisting of 11.4 Mbp, was 70.0 mol%. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity studies showed that strain 1H-SSA4T belongs to the genus Streptomyces with the highest sequence similarity to Streptomyces hygroscopicus subsp. ossamyceticus NBRC 13983T (98.9 %), and phylogenetically clustered with this species, Streptomyces torulosus LMG 20305T (98.8 %), Streptomyces ipomoeae NBRC 13050T (98.5 %) and Streptomyces decoyicus NRRL 2666T (98.4 %). The morphological and chemotaxonomic properties of the strain were also consistent with those members of the genus Streptomyces. A combination of DNA-DNA hybridization experiments and phenotypic tests were carried out between strain 1H-SSA4T and the above-mentioned strains, which further clarified their relatedness and demonstrated that strain 1H-SSA4T could be distinguished from these strains. Therefore, the strain is concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces capitiformicae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 1H-SSA4T (=CGMCC 4.7403T=DSM 104537T).
Keywords: 16S rRNA gene; Camponotus japonicus Mayr; Streptomyces capitiformicae sp. nov.; angucyclinone antibiotics; draft genome; polyphasic taxonomy.