Lactobacillus micheneri sp nov., Lactobacillus timberlakei sp nov and Lactobacillus quenuiae sp nov., lactic acid bacteria isolated from wild bees and flowers

Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, non-spore forming bacteria have been isolated from flowers and the guts of adult wild bees in the families Megachilidae and Halictidae. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene indicated that these bacteria belong to the genus Lactobacillus, and are most closely related to the honey-bee associated bacteria Lactobacillus kunkeei (97.0 % sequence similarity) and Lactobacillus apinorum (97.0 % sequence similarity). Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA genes and six single-copy protein coding genes, in situ and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization, and fatty-acid profiling differentiates the newly isolated bacteria as three novel Lactobacillus species: Lactobacillus micheneri sp. nov. with the type strain Hlig3(T) (=DSM 104126(T) ,=NRRL B-65473(T)), Lactobacillus timberlakei with the type strain HV_12(T)(=DSM 104128(T) ,=NRRL B-65472(T)), and Lactobacillus quenuiae sp. nov. with the type strain HV_6(T) (=DSM 104127(T) ,=NRRL B-65474(T)).