Emendation of the genus Planococcus and transfer of Flavobacterium okeanokoites Zobell and Upham 1944 to the genus Planococcus as Planococcus okeanokoites comb. nov.

The taxonomic position of Flavobacterium okeanokoites IFO 12536T (T = type strain) was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and chemotaxonomic methods. Phylogenetic evidence derived from a 16S rRNA sequence analysis indicated that F. okeanokoites, which forms rod-shaped cells, belongs to the genus Planococcus, which forms spherical cells. A phylogenetically close relationship was supported by chemotaxonomic characteristics, such as the presence of menaquinone 7 and menaquinone 8 as major isoprenoid quinones, the presence of phosphatidylglycerol, bisphosphatydylglycerol, and phosphatidylethanolamine as cellular polar lipids, and the G + C content of the DNA (46.3 mol%). These data suggest that whether a cell is a rod or a coccus is not a generic criterion. Accordingly, we propose that F. okeanokoites should be transferred to the genus Planococcus and that the description of the genus Planococcus should be emended.