Methylobacterium phyllostachyos is a species of Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, aerobic, and facultatively methylotrophic bacteria belonging to the genus Methylobacterium within the class Alphaproteobacteria.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
The species was proposed and validly published by Madhaiyan and Poonguzhali in 2014. Its nomenclatural status is validly published under the ICNP (International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes), and it remains the correct name for the species. The taxonomic lineage is: Bacteria; Pseudomonadota; Alphaproteobacteria; Hyphomicrobiales; Methylobacteriaceae; Methylobacterium.
The etymology of the specific epithet comes from the botanical genus Phyllostachys (a group of bamboos). The name phyllostachyos means "of Phyllostachys," referring to the isolation of the type strain from Phyllostachys aureosulcata.
Type Strain and Isolation
The type strain is designated as BL47 (= ICMP 17619 = NBRC 105206). The bacterium was first isolated from the surface of a bamboo leaf (Phyllostachys aureosulcata) in Coimbatore, India, using selective media supplemented with methanol. Its 16S rRNA gene sequence accession number is EU912444.
Characteristics
As a member of the genus Methylobacterium, this species is a pink-pigmented facultative methylotroph (PPFM) that can metabolize one-carbon compounds such as methanol, which is released by plant leaves. It is Gram-negative, strictly aerobic, motile, and non-spore-forming, consisting of rod-shaped cells. Like other Methylobacterium species, it is commonly associated with the phyllosphere (the aerial parts of plants).
Classification Notes
The species was established alongside the related species Methylobacterium pseudosasicola, with both being described in the same 2014 publication in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (doi: 10.1099/ijs.0.057232-0; PMID 24760798). The name has also received a taxonomic emendation by Hördt et al. (2020) following the analysis of type-strain genomes. Its risk group is classified as 1, and it is included on the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance (LoRN) based on the risk group recorded for its genus.
