Bacillus toyonensis biovar Thuringiensis: A novel entomopathogen with insecticidal activity against lepidopteran and coleopteran pests

The Bacillus cereus group includes eight species: anthracis, B. cereus, cytotoxicus, mycoides, pseudomycoides, thuringiensis, weihenstephanensis and toyonensis, which are highly related at the phylogenetic level. In this work, we performed isolation characterization of a novel sp. strain exhibiting parasporal crystals with insecticidal activity that was initially classified as thuringiensis strain. Its genome encoded three genes showing homology to known pesticidal proteins from Lysinibacillus sphaericus proteins: Cry7Ga1 (a crystal protein), Mpp2Aa3 (ETX/Mtx2 family) homolog mosquitocidal-like protein (NPP1). However, since its sequence shared > 98% ANI several toyonensis genomes, has subsequently been renamed biovar Thuringiensis designated Bto-UNVM_94. Bioassays demonstrated exhibited toxicity against Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Anthonomus grandis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), low Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Alphitobius diaperinus Tenebrionidae) whereas no shown free-living nematode Panagrellus redivivus (Rhabditida: Panagrolaimidae).