Reclassification of Streptomyces hygroscopicus subsp. glebosus and Streptomyces libani subsp. rufus as later heterotypic synonyms of Streptomyces platensis.

We investigated the taxonomic relationships among Streptomyces hygroscopicus subsp. glebosus, Streptomyces libani subsp. rufus and Streptomyces platensis. The three species formed a single clade in the phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequence and multilocus sequence analyses. Digital DNA-DNA hybridization using whole genome sequences suggested that S. hygroscopicus subsp. glebosus, S. libani subsp. rufus and S. platensis belong to the same genomospecies. Previously reported phenotypic data also supported this synonymy. Therefore, S. hygroscopicus subsp. glebosus and S. libani subsp. rufus should be reclassified as later heterotypic synonyms of S. platensis.