Isolation and classification of a novel marine Bacteroidetes as Frondibacter aureus gen. nov., sp. nov.

A facultatively anaerobic, Gram-stain negative, golden-yellow pigmented, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain A5Q-67(T) was isolated from leaf litter collected at the mangrove estuary of Nakama River, Japan. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed the novel isolate was affiliated with the family Flavobacteriaceae of the phylum Bacteroidetes and that it showed highest sequence similarity (94.2 %) to Imtechella halotolerans K1(T). The strain could be differentiated phenotypically from recognized members of the family Flavobacteriaceae. The major fatty acids of strain A5Q-67(T) were identified as iso-C17:0 3-OH, summed feature 1 (iso-C15:1 H and/or C13:0 3-OH) and iso-C15:0 as defined by the MIDI system. The DNA G+C content was determined to be 36.7 mol%, the major respiratory quinone was identified as menaquinone 6 (MK-6) and a polar lipid profile was present consisting of phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified aminolipids and an unidentified lipid. From the distinct phylogenetic position and combination of genotypic and phenotypic characteristics, the strain is considered to represent a novel genus for which the name Frondibacter aureus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of F. aureus is A5Q-67(T) (=KCTC 32991(T) = NBRC 110021(T)).