Description of Lutimonas halocynthiae sp nov., isolated from a golden sea squirt (Halocynthia aurantium), reclassification of Aestuariicola saemankumensis as Lutimonas saemankumensis comb. nov and emended description of the genus Lutimonas

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, coccoid, ovoid or rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated RSS3-C1(T), was isolated from a golden sea squirt (Halocynthia aurantium) collected from the East Sea, South Korea. Strain RSS3-C1(T) was found to grow optimally at 20-25 degrees C, at pH 7.0-8.0 and in the presence of 2.0% (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain RSS3-C1(T) clustered with the type strains of Lutimonas vermicola and Aestuariicola saemankumensis. Strain RSS3-C1(T) exhibited 98.8% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to each type strain. Strain RSS3-C1(T) contained MK-6 as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C-(15:0), iso-C-17:0 3-OH and anteiso-C-15:0 as the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids of strain RSS3-C1(T) were phosphatidylethanolamine and two unidentified lipids. The DNA G+C content of strain RSS3-C1(T) was 39.2 mol%, and DNA-DNA relatedness to the type strains of and was 21 +/- 5.3 and 26 +/- 7.5 %, respectively. The differential phenotypic properties, together with its phylogenetic and genetic distinctiveness, revealed that strain RSS3-C1(T) is separated from and. On the basis of the data presented, strain RSS3-C1(T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Lutimonas, for which the name Lutimonas halocynthiae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RSS3-C1(T) (=KCTC 32537(T)=CECT 8444(T)). In this study, it is also proposed that Aestuariicola saemankumensis should be reclassified as a member of the genus Lutimonas, as Lutimonas saemankumensis comb. nov. (type strain SMK-142(T)=KCTC 22171(T)=CCUG 55329(T)), and the description of the genus Lutimonas is emended.