Transfer of Meiothermus chliarophilus (Tenreiro et al.1995) Nobre et al. 1996, Meiothermus roseus Ming et al. 2016, Meiothermus terrae Yu et al. 2014 and Meiothermus timidus Pires et al. 2005, to Calidithermus gen. nov., as Calidithermus chliarophilus comb. nov., Calidithermus roseus comb. nov., Calidithermus terrae comb. nov. and Calidithermus timidus comb. nov., respectively, and emended description of the genus Meiothermus

Abstract

Chemotaxonomic parameters, phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, phylogenetic analysis of 90 housekeeping genes and 855 core genes, amino acid identity (AAI), average nucleotide identity (ANI) and genomic characteristics were used to examine the 13 species of the genus Meiothermus with validly published names to reclassify this genus. The results indicate that the species of the genus Meiothermus can be divided into three lineages on the basis of the results of the phylogenetic analysis, AAI, the guanine+cytosine (G+C) mole ratio, the ability to synthesize the red-pigmented carotenoid canthaxanthin and the colony colour, as well as other genomic characteristics. The results presented in this study circumscribe the genus Meiothermus to the species Meithermus ruber, Meiothermus cateniformans, Meiothermus taiwanensis, Meiothermus cerbereus, Meiothermus hypogaeus, Meiothermus luteus, Meiothermus rufus and Meiothermus granaticius, for which it is necessary to emend the genus Meiothermus . The species Meiothermus silvanus, which clearly represents a separate genus level lineage was not reclassified in this study for lack of any distinctive phenotypic or genotypic characteristics. The results of this study led us to reclassify the species Meiothermus chliarophilus, Meiothermus timidus, Meiothermus roseus and Meiothermus terrae as species of a novel genus for which we propose the epithet Calidithermus gen. nov.