Strain 1JSPR-7T, a facultatively anaerobic bacterium isolated from the gut of larvae of Allomyrina dichotoma raised in Wanju-gun, Republic of Korea, was characterized using a polyphasic approach. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene and rpoB gene sequences showed that strain 1JSPR-7T fell within the genus Lactococcus, forming a compact cluster with the type strain of four subspecies of Lactococcus lactis and Lactococcus taiwanensis. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain 1JSPR-7T revealed the highest homology with L. lactissubsp. lactis JCM 5805T (97.3 %) and L. lactissubsp. hordniae NBRC 100931T (97.1 %), and the rpoB gene sequence showed the highest similarity to L. lactissubsp. cremoris DSM 20069T (91.4 %) and L. lactissubsp. tructae L105T (91.4 %). The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values indicated that strain 1JSPR-7T was a novel species of the genus Lacococcus. The major fatty acids (>10 % of the total fatty acids) were summed feature 7 (unknown 18.846, C19 : 1ω6c and/or C19 : 0cyclo ω10c), C16 : 0 and C14 : 0, and the predominant menaquinone was MK-8 with MK-7 as a minor one. The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified phospholipid and three unidentified glycolipids with diphosphatidylglycerol as the major one. The cell-wall peptidoglycan was of the A4α type with an interpeptide bridge comprising l-Lys-d-Asp. The DNA G+C content based on the whole genome sequences was 37.4 mol%. Based on the data obtained, strain 1JSPR-7T represents a novel species of the genus Lactococcus, for which the name Lactococcusallomyrinae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 1JSPR-7T (=KACC 19319T=NBRC 113068T).
Keywords: Allomyrina dichotoma; Firmicutes; Lactococcus allomyrinae; gut; insect larvae.