Vibrio tetraodonis subsp. pristinus subsp. nov., isolated from the coral Acropora cytherea at Palmyra Atoll, and creation and emended description of Vibrio tetraodonis subsp. tetraodonis subsp. nov.

Strain OCN044 was isolated from the homogenised tissue and mucus of an apparently healthy Acropora cytherea coral fragment collected from the western reef terrace of Palmyra Atoll in the Northern Line Islands and was taxonomically evaluated with a polyphasic approach. The morphological and chemotaxonomic properties are consistent with characteristics of the genus Vibrio: Gram-stain-negative rods, oxidase- and catalase-positive, and motile by means of a polar flagellum. Strain OCN044 can be differentiated as a novel subspecies based on 21 differences among chemotaxonomic features (e.g., fatty acids percentages for C and C ω7c), enzymatic activities (e.g., DNase and cystine arylamidase), and carbon sources utilized (e.g., L-xylose and D-melezitose) from its nearest genetic relative. Phylogenetic analysis and genomic comparisons show close evolutionary relatedness to Vibrio tetraodonis A511 but the overall genomic relatedness indices identify strain OCN044 as a distinct subspecies. Based on a polyphasic characterisation, differences in genomic and taxonomic data, strain OCN044 represents a novel subspecies of V. tetraodonis A511, for which the name Vibrio tetraodonis subsp. pristinus subsp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is OCN044 (= LMG 31895 = DSM 111778).