Loktanella atrilutea sp. nov., isolated from seawater in Japan

Abstract

A Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium, IG8T, was isolated from seawater off the Sanriku coast, Japan. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain IG8T represented a separate lineage within the genus Loktanella; the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values were found with the type strains of Loktanella salsilacus (98.6 %) and Loktanella fryxellensis (98.4 %). DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain IG8T and the type strains of L. salsilacus (27.9–36.1 %) and L. fryxellensis (11.3–31.0 %) were clearly below 70 %, the generally accepted limit for species delineation. The DNA G+C content of strain IG8T was 66.3 mol%. On the basis of DNA–DNA hybridization, some biochemical characteristics and 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison, it is proposed that the isolate represents a novel species, Loktanella atrilutea sp. nov. The type strain is IG8T (=IAM 15450T=NCIMB 14280T).