BIOSYSTEMATICS AND DIVERSITY AMONGST NOVEL CARBOXYDOTROPHIC ACTINOMYCETES

Fifty-four carboxydotrophic actinomycetes isolated from soils and comp osts were compared through 119 unit characters with representative mes ophilic and thermophilic streptomycetes. The data were examined using the Jaccard, pattern and simple matching coefficients and clustering a chieved using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average s algorithm. Acceptable cophenetic correlation and test error values a llowed confidence to be placed in the resultant numerical taxonomies. The carboxydotrophic actinomycetes, which were distinct from cluster-g roups corresponding to the mesophilic and thermophilic streptomycetes, formed two major cluster-groups the members of which were examined fo r the presence of diagnostic chemical markers. All but two of the carb oxydotrophic actinomycetes had a profile of chemical properties consis tent with their assignment to the genus Streptomyces, Quantitative fat ty acid data were examined using the SIMCA package and the two statist ically significant groups obtained corresponded with the cluster-group s circumscribed in the numerical phenetic analysis. Members of the two groups were also distinguished on the basis of their phospholipid com position. The two strains that contained meso- as opposed to LL-diamin opimelic acid in their peptidoglycan also showed a distinct chemotaxon omic profile. It was concluded that the carboxydotrophic actinomycetes form a novel and taxonomically diverse group.