gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel acetic acid bacterium isolated from the leafhopper (: ).

Acetic acid bacteria - belonging to the family - are found in the gut of many sugar-feeding insects. In this study, six strains have been isolated from the hemipteran leafhopper . While they exhibit high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to uncultured members of the family, they could not be unequivocally assigned to any particular type species. Considering the clonality of the six isolates, the EV16P strain was used as a representative of this group of isolates. The genome sequence of EV16P is composed of a 2.388 Mbp chromosome, with a DNA G+C content of 57 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence and whole-genome multilocus sequence analysis indicate that EV16P forms a monophyletic clade with the uncultivated endosymbiont of , the Kirkpatrickella diaphorinae. Such a phylogenetic clade is positioned between those of and . The genomic distance metrics based on gene and protein sequences support the proposal that EV16P is a new species belonging to a yet-undescribed genus. It is a rod-shaped Gram-stain-negative bacterium, strictly aerobic, non-motile, non-spore-forming, showing optimal growth without salt (NaCl) at 30 °C and pH of 6-7. The major quinone is Q10, and the dominant cellular fatty acids (>10%) are C 7c, C cyclo 6c, C and C 2OH. The polar lipid profile comprises diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine, along with unidentified aminophospholipids, glycophospholipids, aminolipids and lipids. Based on a polyphasic approach, including phylogenetic, phylogenomic, genome relatedness, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characterisations, EV16P (= KCTC 8296, = DSM 117028) is proposed as a representative of a novel species in a novel genus with the proposed name gen. nov., sp. nov., in honour of Prof. Claudia Sorlini, an Italian environmental microbiologist at the University of Milan who inspired the research on microbial diversity, including symbiosis in plants and animals.