Extremely halophilic denitrifying bacteria from hypersaline inland lakes, Halovibrio denitrificans sp. nov. and Halospina denitrificans gen. nov., sp. nov., and evidence that the genus name Halovibrio Fendrich 1989 with the type species Halovibrio variabilis should be associated with DSM 3050.

Anaerobic enrichments with acetate as electron donor and nitrate as electron acceptor at 4 M NaCl from inland, hypersaline lake sediments from Central Asia resulted in the isolation of several extremely halophilic bacteria that comprised two subgroups, most with vibrio-shaped cells and a single strain with rod-shaped cells. Members of both subgroups were extremely halophilic, with growth occurring in 2-5 M NaCl with an optimum at 2-3 M. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed a close affiliation of the new isolates with Pseudomonas halophila DSM 3050 in the Gammaproteobacteria. However, phenotypic comparison of the denitrifying halophiles with the original description of P. halophila demonstrated that they were more similar to another bacterium isolated from the same source at the same time, the extremely halophilic Halovibrio variabilis, which has since been reclassified as Halomonas variabilis (DSM 3051). Direct cross-comparison showed that the characteristics of these two halophilic bacteria do not correspond with the original descriptions associated with these names and DSM numbers. While it is desirable that this problem be solved, in connection with the present investigations, this is a matter that can only be solved by a Request for an Opinion. On the basis of the phenotypic and genetic comparison of these isolates, it is proposed that the new denitrifying vibrio-shaped isolates represent a novel species, Halovibrio denitrificans sp. nov. (type strain HGD 3T=DSM 15503T=UNIQEM U232T) and that the rod-shaped isolate represents a novel genus and species, Halospina denitrificans gen. nov., sp. nov. (type strain HGD 1-3T=DSM 15505T=UNIQEM U233T).