Croceicoccus naphthovorans sp. nov., a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons-degrading and acylhomoserine-lactone-producing bacterium isolated from marine biofilm, and emended description of the genus Croceicoccus.

A polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons-degrading and acylhomoserine-lactone-producing marine bacterium, designated strain PQ-2(T), was isolated from marine biofilm collected from a boat shell at a harbour of Zhoushan island in Zhejiang Province, PR China. Strain PQ-2(T) is Gram-stain-negative, yellow-pigmented, non-motile and short rod-shaped. Optimal growth of strain PQ-2(T) was observed at 32 °C, at pH 7.0 and in 2% (w/v) NaCl. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain PQ-2(T) showed highest similarity to Croceicoccus marinus E4A9(T) (96.3%) followed by Novosphingobium malaysiense MUSC 273(T) (95.6%) and Altererythrobacter marinus H32(T) (95.6%). Phylogenetic analysis with all species of the family Erythrobacteraceae with validly published names revealed that strain PQ-2(T) formed a phyletic line with Croceicoccus marinus E4A9(T) that was distinct from other members of the family Erythrobacteraceae . The sole respiratory quinone was ubiquinone 10 (Q-10). The predominant fatty acids were C18 : 1ω7c, C17 : 1ω6c and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH). The genomic DNA G+C content was 61.7 mol%. In the polar lipid profile, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, one unidentified phospholipid and one sphingoglycolipid were the major compounds; and another sphingoglycolipid was present in a minor amount. Based on the genotypic and phenotypic data, strain PQ-2(T) represents a novel species of the genus Croceicoccus , for which the name Croceicoccus naphthovorans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is PQ-2(T) ( =CGMCC 1.12805(T) =NBRC 110381(T)). In addition, emended descriptions for the genus Croceicoccus and the species C. marinus are given.