Sac.cha.ro.po.ly.spo'ra. N.L. n. Saccharum generic name of sugar cane; Gr. adj. polus many; Gr. n. spora a seed, and in biology a spore; N.L. fem. n. Saccharopolyspora the many spored (organism) from sugar cane.

Actinobacteria / Actinobacteria / Pseudonocardiales / Pseudonocardiaceae / Saccharopolyspora

Aerobic, Gram-stain-positive, non-acid-fast, nonmotile, catalase-positive actinobacteria which form an extensively branched substrate mycelium that typically fragments into coccoid and/or rod-shaped elements. In some species, the substrate hyphae remain intact or are partially transformed into chains of spores. Aerial hyphae, when present, generally differentiate into bead-like chains of spores contained within a smooth sheath. Spores are borne in straight, flexuous, hooked, looped, or spiral chains. Spore surfaces can be hairy, smooth, spiny, rough, or warty. Substrate mycelia may be buff, brownish red, orange, or yellow and aerial mycelia are white to gray or pinkish white. Diverse compounds are used as sole carbon sources for energy and growth. Whole-organism hydrolysates contain meso-diaminopimelic acid, arabinose, and galactose. Muramic acid moieties are N-acetylated. Cells contain tetrahydrogenated menaquinones with nine isoprene units as the predominant menaquinone, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylmethylethanolamine as major polar lipids, and fatty acid profiles rich in iso- and anteiso-branched chain components, but lack mycolic acids. The phylogenetic position of Saccharopolyspora, as determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, is in the family Pseudonocardiaceae.

DNA G+C content (mol%): 66–77.

Type species: Saccharopolyspora hirsuta Lacey and Goodfellow 1975, 02 99 78^AL.