A NEW GENUS OF ACTINOMYCETES, PLANOTETRASPORA GEN-NOV

A new aerobic mesophilic genus of actinomycetes, Planotetraspora, is d escribed. These microorganisms produce a filamentous growth which is d ifferentiated into a vegetative mycelium and an aerial mycelium; the h yphae are gram positive and not acid fast. Planotetraspora strains are characterized by the formation of long, cylindrical sporangia at the ends of short sporangiophores on aerial hyphae, with each sporangium c ontaining four spores in a single row. The sporangiospores are release d from the sporangia when preparations are flooded with water and are motile by means of single polar flagella. The type species of the new genus is Planotetraspora mira (type strain, NA9211028 [= SIIA9201]).