<em>Paenibacillus hubeiensis</em> sp. nov., a New Selenium-Resistant Bacterium Isolated from the Rhizosphere of <em>Galinsoga parviflora</em> in a Selenium-Rich Area of Enshi, Hubei Province

A Gram-stain-positive, motile, aerobic, rod-shaped strain ES5-4T was isolated from the rhizosphere of Galinsoga parviflora growing in the selenium-rich ore area of Enshi, Hubei Province, China. This strain could grow at pH 5.0–10.0 and 4–42 °C, with optimal growth at pH 7.0 and 28 °C. It resisted NaCl up to 5% (w/v), with an optimal growth condition of 0.5–1.0%. It tolerated up to 5,000 mg/L of Se4+. The major fatty acids of strain ES5-4T were anteiso-C15:0 (46.5%) and C16:0 (21.7%). The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-7. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and an unidentified phospholipid (PL). The 16S rRNA gene sequence implied that ES5-4T belonged to a member of the genus Paenibacillus, with a highest sequence similarity of 98.4% to Paenibacillus pabuli NBRC 13638T. The bac120 tree also verified that the strain was within the genus Paenibacillus. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between ES5-4T and closely related members of the genus Paenibacillus were all below the cutoff levels of 95%–96% and 70%, respectively. Therefore, based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, and phylogenetic analyses, strain ES5-4T represents a novel Paenibacillus species, for which the name Paenibacillus hubeiensis sp. nov. is proposed. This type strain is ES5-4T (= GDMCC 1.3540T = KCTC 43478T).