Litoreibacter albidus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Litoreibacter janthinus sp. nov., members of the class Alphaproteobacteria isolated from the seashore.

Two Gram-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile bacteria designated strains KMM 3851(T) and KMM 3842(T) were respectively isolated from a marine snail specimen (Umbonium costatum) and from surrounding sediments collected simultaneously from the shore of the Sea of Japan. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strains KMM 3851(T) and KMM 3842(T) were affiliated with the Roseobacter lineage of the class Alphaproteobacteria as a separate phylogenetic line adjacent to the members of the genus Thalassobacter. These novel isolates shared 98.5 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity and 15 % DNA-DNA relatedness. The major isoprenoid quinone of both strains was Q-10 and polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and aminophospholipids. In addition, strain KMM 3851(T) contained two unknown lipids, whereas strain KMM 3842(T) contained diphosphatidylglycerol. Fatty acid analysis revealed C(18 : 1)ω7c and C(16 : 0) as major components and small amounts of C(18 : 2). The DNA G+C contents were 60.4 mol% (KMM 3851(T)) and 58.5 mol% (KMM 3842(T)). Based on distinctive phenotypic characteristics, DNA-DNA hybridization data and phylogenetic distance, strains KMM 3851(T) and KMM 3842(T) should be classified as representatives of two novel species in a new genus, Litoreibacter gen. nov., with the type species Litoreibacter albidus sp. nov. (type strain KMM 3851(T) =NRIC 0773(T) =JCM 16493(T)) and a second species Litoreibacter janthinus sp. nov. (type strain KMM 3842(T) =NRIC 0772(T) =JCM 16492(T)).