Virgibacillus koreensis sp. nov., a novel bacterium from a salt field, and transfer of Virgibacillus picturae to the genus Oceanobacillus as Oceanobacillus picturae comb. nov. with emended descriptions.

A novel Virgibacillus strain, BH30097T, was isolated from a salt field near Taean-Gun on the Yellow Sea in Korea. Cells were Gram-positive rods and bore ellipsoidal endospores in terminal positions. The optimum pH and temperature for growth of this organism were pH 7 and 25 degrees C, respectively. The main respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C(15 : 0) and iso-C(16 : 0). Analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence data revealed that the isolate formed an evolutionary lineage distinct from other Virgibacillus species. Levels of sequence similarity between the isolate and other Virgibacillus species ranged from 93.8 to 96.7 %. DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain BH30097T and a phylogenetically closely related strain, Virgibacillus halodenitrificans KCTC 3790T, were less than 24 %. On the basis of morphological, physiological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison and DNA-DNA hybridization, a novel species, Virgibacillus koreensis sp. nov., is proposed, with the type strain BH30097T (= KCTC 3823T = JCM 12387T). It is also proposed that Virgibacillus picturae be transferred to the genus Oceanobacillus as Oceanobacillus picturae comb. nov. based on its 16S rRNA gene sequences and other taxonomic characteristics.