Sneathiella chinensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel marine alphaproteobacterium isolated from coastal sediment in Qingdao, China

The taxonomic position of strain LMG 23452^T, which was isolated from coastal sedinient from an tquaculture site near Qingdao, China, in 2000, was determined. Strain LMG 23452^T comprised Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, motile rods and was found to be a halotolerant, aerobic, chemoheterotroph that produces catalase and oxidase. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain LMG 23452^T shared approximately 89% sequence similarity with members of the genera Devosia, Hyphomonas, Ensifer and Chelatococcus, which belong to two different orders within the Alphaproteobacteria. Further phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strain LMG 23452^T formed a separate branch within the order Rhizobiales, falling between the genera Devosia and Ensifer of the families Hyphomicrobiaceae and Rhizobiaceae, respectively. Strain LMG 23452^T could be differentiated from its closest phylogenetic neighbours on the basis of several phenotypic features, including hydrolysis of the substrates starch and casein and assimilation of the carbohydrates D-glucose, D-mannose, mannitol, maltose and L-arabinose, and chemotaxonomically by the presence of the fatty acids C_14:0 3-OH, C₁₆: ₁w7C, C_16:1?5c and C_18:1?5c. The major fatty acids detected in strain LMG 23452^T were C,_18:l?7c, C₁₆:0, C19_:0 cyclo ?8C, C16:1?7c and C17:1?6c and the G+C content of the genomic DNA was 57.1 mol%. Therefore, the polyphasic data support the placement of strain LMG 23452^T within a novel genus and species, for which the name Sneathiella chinensis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LMG 23452^T (=CBMAI 737^T): © 2007 IUMS.