Bacillus litoralis sp. nov., isolated from a tidal flat of the Yellow Sea in Korea

Abstract

A Gram-variable, motile, endospore-forming, slightly halophilic bacterial strain, designated SW-211T, was isolated from a tidal flat of the Yellow Sea in Korea, and was characterized taxonomically by using a polyphasic approach. The organism grew optimally at 37 °C and in the presence of 2–3 % NaCl. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain SW-211T forms a distinct phylogenetic lineage within the radiation of the cluster comprising Bacillus species. Strain SW-211T had cell-wall peptidoglycan based on meso-diaminopimelic acid. The predominant menaquinone was MK-7 and the major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0 (34·8 %), iso-C15 : 0 (15·6 %), iso-C16 : 0 (12·5 %) and iso-C14 : 0 (10·0 %). The DNA G+C content was 35·2 mol%. Strain SW-211T exhibited levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of <96·2 % with respect to the type strains of recognized Bacillus species. On the basis of its phenotypic properties and phylogenetic distinctiveness, strain SW-211T (=KCTC 3898T=DSM 16303T) was classified in the genus Bacillus as the type strain of a novel species, for which the name Bacillus litoralis sp. nov. is proposed.