Agnes Liu Based on the phylogenetic tree attached, it is better to say that the protein sequence (rocF gene, based on your previous questions) of Bacillus tequilensis is equally distant from protein sequences of Bacillus safensis and Halalkalibacterium halodurans. There is no bootstrap value for joint branches of Halalkalibacterium halodurans and Bacillus tequilensis, and different distance calculation, different clustering method, or additional accessions in analysis may give you different grouping of these 3 species. rocF can be found in plasmids, so, it is not very reliable gene for bacteria identification.