Pontirhabdus pectinivorans gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from seawater.

A yellow-coloured, rod-shaped, Gram-reaction-negative and aerobic bacterial strain, designated JC2675(T), was isolated from a seawater sample from Jeju Island, Korea. The isolate required sea salts for growth. Gliding motility was observed. Flexirubin-type pigments were absent. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain JC2675(T) represented a distinct phyletic line that reflected a novel generic status within the family Flavobacteraceae with relatively low gene sequence similarities (<95.7 %) to other recognized genera. The predominant isoprenoid quinone (MK-6) and DNA G+C content (30 mol%) were consistent with the assignment of the novel strain to the family Flavobacteriaceae, but overall phenotypic traits demonstrated that the novel strain was not closely affiliated with any previously described genus. Based on data from a study using a polyphasic taxonomic approach, it is proposed that strain JC2675(T) represents a new genus and novel species belonging to the family Flavobacteriaceae, for which the name Pontirhabdus pectinivorans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the type species is JC2675(T) ( = KACC 14153(T) = JCM 17107(T)).