Microbulbifer chitinilyticus sp. nov. and Microbulbifer okinawensis sp. nov., chitin-degrading bacteria isolated from mangrove forests.

Three chitin-degrading strains representing two novel species were isolated from mangrove forests in Okinawa, Japan. The isolates, ABABA23(T), ABABA211 and ABABA212(T), were Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, strictly aerobic chemo-organotrophs. The novel strains produced Q-8 as the major isoprenoid quinone component. The predominant fatty acids were iso-C₁₅:₀ and C₁₆:₀. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the isolates were closely affiliated with members of the genus Microbulbifer. The DNA G+C contents of strains ABABA23(T) and ABABA212(T) were 57.8 and 60.2 mol%, respectively. DNA-DNA relatedness values between these two strains and Microbulbifer reference strains were significantly lower than 70 %, the generally accepted threshold level below which strains are considered to belong to separate species. Based on differences in taxonomic characteristics, the three isolates represent two novel species of the genus Microbulbifer, for which the names Microbulbifer chitinilyticus sp. nov. (type strain, ABABA212(T) = JCM 16148(T) = NCIMB 14577(T)) and Microbulbifer okinawensis sp. nov. (type strain, ABABA23(T) = JCM 16147(T) = NCIMB 14576(T); reference strain, ABABA211) are proposed.