Sphingomonas crocodyli sp. nov., isolated from a crocodile pond

Strain CCP-7(T), isolated from a freshwater pond in Taiwan, was characterized using a polyphasic taxonomy approach. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and coding sequences of 92 protein clusters indicated that strain CCP-7(T) formed a phylogenetic lineage in the genus Sphingomonas. Strain CCP-7(T) was most closely related to Sphingomonas starnbergensis 382(T)-and Sphingomonas naphthae DKC-5-1(T) with 96.2 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. Strain CCP-7(T) showed 65.5-76.7 % average nucleotide identity and 20.2-22.5 %digital DNA-DNA hybridization identity with the strains of other related Sphingomonas species. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped and formed light orange-coloured colonies. Optimal growth occurred at 30 degrees C, pH 6 and in the absence of NaCl. The major fatty acid of strain CCP-7(T) was C-18(:1) omega 7c. The polar lipid profile consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, three uncharacterized sphingoglycolipids, two uncharacterized phospholipids and six uncharacterized lipids. The predominant polyamine was homospermidine. The only isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. Genomic DNA G+C content of strain CCP-7(T) was 64.5 %. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic properties and phylogenetic inference, strain CCP-7(T) should be classified in a novel species of the genus Sphingomonas, for which the name Sphingomonas crocodyli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CCP-7(T) (=BCRC 81096(T) =LMG 30311(T)=KCTC 62190(T)).