Corynebacterium megadyptis sp. nov. with two subspecies, Corynebacterium megadyptis subsp. megadyptis subsp. nov. and Corynebacterium megadyptis subsp. dunedinense subsp. nov. isolated from yellow-eyed penguins

Novel strains, 3B and 7B , were isolated from the oral cavities of young chicks of yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho), . A polyphasic taxonomic characterization of these strains revealed chemotaxonomic, biochemical and morphological features that are consistent with those of the genus . The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values between the strains and their closest phylogenetic neighbour, CCUG 47525 were 99.07 %, values that are in line with their phylogenomic positions within the evolutionary radiation of the genus . Digital DNA-DNA hybridization values and average nucleotide identities between the genome sequences of the two strains and related species were well below the defined threshold values (70 and 95-96 %, respectively) for prokaryotic species delineation. The genome size of these strains varied between 2.45-2.46 Mb with G+C content 62.7-62.9 mol%. Strains 3B and 7B were Gram-stain positive bacilli that were able to grow in presence of 0-10 % (w/v) NaCl and at temperature ranging between 20-37 °C. The major fatty acids (>15 %) were C and C 9 , and the mycolic acid profile included 32-36 carbon atoms. We propose that these strains represent a novel species, sp. nov. with 3B (=DSM 111184 =NZRM 4755 ) as the type strain. Phylogenomically, strains 3B and 7B belong to two lineages with subtle differences in MALDI-TOF spectra, chemotaxonomic profiles and phenotypic properties. The fatty acid profile of strain 3B contains C as a predominant type (>15 %), which is a minor component in strain 7B . Strain 7B can oxidize -acetyl-d-glucosamine, l-serine, α-hydroxy-butyric acid, l-malic acid, l-glutamic acid, bromo-succinic acid and l-lactic acid, characteristics not observed in strain 3B . Therefore, we propose that these strains represent two subspecies, namely subsp. subsp. nov. (type strain, 3B =DSM 111184 =NZRM 4755 ) and subsp. subsp. nov. (type strain, 7B =DSM 111183 =NZRM 4756 ).