Actinospica

Abstract Ac.ti.no.spi'ca. Gr. fem. n. aktis , a ray; L. fem. n. spica , tuft; N.L. fem. n. Actinospica , an actinomycete with tufts of aerial hyphae. Actinomycetota / Actinomycetes / Catenulisporales / Actinospicaceae / Actinospica The genus Actinospica accommodates Gram‐stain‐positive, aerobic, and filamentous actinobacteria with an extensively branched substrate mycelium. The aerial mycelium has a straight to flexuous long chain of spores with a rugose surface and cylindrical shape. The spores have a size range of 0.6–1.2 μm × 0.4–0.6 μm. For some strains, the aerial mycelium can be absent on ISP media. Soluble pigments are often produced on ISP 5 and ISP 7 media. The strains are acidophilic and able to grow at pH levels between 4.0 and 6.5, with an optimal pH of 5.0–5.5. They are able to degrade Tweens 40 and 60. They produce acid and alkaline phosphatases, esterase (C4), esterase lipase (C8), α and β‐glucosidase, and oxidase. This taxon is characterized by whole‐cell hydrolysates that are rich in 3‐hydroxy‐2,6‐diaminopimelic acid; arabinose, galactose, mannose, rhamnose, and xylose as cell sugars. The predominant menaquinones are MK‐9(H4), MK‐9(H6), and MK‐9(H8), although MK‐9(H2) may be present. The polar lipid pattern consists of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylmethylethanolamine. The major fatty acids are iso ‐C 15:0 , and iso ‐C 16:0 . The genome size ranges from 7.9 to 9.9 Mb. DNA G + C content (mol%) : 69.2–71.0. Type species : Actinospica robiniae Cavaletti et al. 2006 VP .