Hexachlorocyclohexane-degrading bacterial strains Sphingomonas paucimobilis B90A, UT26 and Sp+, having similar lin genes, represent three distinct species, Sphingobium indicum sp. nov., Sphingobium japonicum sp. nov. and Sphingobium francense sp. nov., and reclassification of [Sphingomonas] chungbukensis as Sphingobium chungbukense comb. nov