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, was isolated from a golden sea squirt (Halocynthia aurantium) collected from the East Sea, South Korea. Strain RSS3-C1 was found to grow optimally at 20-25 °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 clustered with the type strains ofLutimonas vermicola and Aestuariicola saemankumensis. Strain RSS3-C1exhibited 98.8% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to each type strain. Strain RSS3-C1 contained MK-6 as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C, iso-C 3-OH and anteiso-C as the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids of strain RSS3-C1 were phosphatidylethanolamine and two unidentified lipids. The DNA G+C content of strain RSS3-C1 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 is separated from http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.11271 and http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.13687. On the basis of the data presented, strain RSS3-C1 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 (= KCTC 32537 = CECT 8444). 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 = KCTC 22171 = CCUG 55329), and the description of the genus Lutimonas is emended. © 2014 IUMS.