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Seven strains of aerobic, endospore-forming bacteria were found in soil taken from an active fumarole on Lucifer Hill, Candlemas Island, South Sandwich archipelago, Antarctica, and four strains were from soil of an inactive fumarole at the foot of the hill. Amplified rDNA restriction analysis, 16S rDNA sequence comparisons, SDS-PAGE and routine phenotypic tests support the proposal of two novel species of Paenibacillus, Paenibacillus cineris sp. nov. and Paenibacillus cookii sp. nov., the type strains of which are LMG 18439T (=CIP 108109T) and LMG 18419T (=CIP 108110T), respectively. A further strain, isolated from a gelatin-production process, showed more than 99% 16S rDNA sequence similarity to the proposed P. cookii type strain and, although the gelatin isolate was atypical when compared with the fumarole isolates by repeated element primed-PCR, SDS-PAGE and phenotypic analyses, it was shown by DNA-DNA reassociation studies to belong to the same species. Strains of P. cookii produce spreading growth with motile microcolonies. Both species produce swollen sporangia that are typical for the genus, they both show 97.6% 16S rDNA sequence similarity to Paenibacillus azoreducens, they have 51.5-51.6 mol% G+C in their DNA and their major fatty acid is anteiso-C(15 : 0); however, fatty acids C(16 : 0) and anteiso-C(17 : 0) represent, respectively, 18 and 10 % of the total in P. cineris, but 11 and 20% in P. cookii.

A sample of mossy soil taken from the eastern lava flow of northern Candlemas Island, South Sandwich archipelago, yielded six isolates of aerobic, endospore-forming bacteria. Miniaturized routine phenotypic tests and other observations, amplified rDNA restriction analysis and SDS-PAGE analysis suggested that the strains represent a novel taxon. 16S rDNA sequence comparisons support the proposal of a novel species, Bacillus shackletonii sp. nov., the type strain of which is LMG 18435(T) (=CIP 107762(T)).

Aerobic, endospore-forming bacteria were found in soil taken from an active fumarole on Lucifer Hill, Candlemas Island, South Sandwich archipelago. Amplified rDNA restriction analysis, SDS-PAGE, repetitive element primed-PCR (rep-PCR) and routine phenotypic tests suggested that six of the isolates represent a novel taxon, and 16S rDNA sequence comparisons support the proposal of a novel species, Bacillus luciferensis sp. nov., the type strain of which is strain LMG 18422(T) (= CIP 107105(T)).

Aerobic endospore-forming bacteria were isolated from soils taken from active fumaroles on Mount Rittmann and Mount Melbourne in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica, and from active and inactive fumaroles on Candlemas Island, South Sandwich archipelago. The Mt Rittmann and Mt Melbourne soils yielded a dominant, moderately thermophilic and acidophilic, aerobic endospore-former growing at pH 5.5 and 50 degrees C, and further strains of the same organism were isolated from a cold, dead fumarole at Clinker Gulch, Candlemas Island. Amplified rDNA restriction analysis, SDS-PAGE and routine phenotypic tests show that the Candlemas Island isolates are not distinguishable from the Mt Rittmann strains, although the two sites are 5600 km apart, and 16S rDNA sequence comparisons and DNA relatedness data support the proposal of a new species, Bacillus fumarioli, the type strain of which is LMG 17489T.