Exiguobacterium mexicanum sp. nov. and Exiguobacterium artemiae sp. nov., isolated from the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana.

Two Gram-positive strains isolated from cysts of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana were subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic analysis. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison and composition of isoprenoid quinones, peptidoglycan and fatty acids, these organisms are members of the genus Exiguobacterium. Both strains showed 95.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to one another. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of strain 8N(T) and 9AN(T) were 97.5% and 98.9% similar to those of Exiguobacterium aurantiacum DSM 6208(T) and Exiguobacterium undae DSM 14481(T), respectively. Based on differences in chemotaxonomic and physiological characteristics, results of DNA-DNA hybridization and automated riboprinting, two novel species of the genus Exiguobacterium are proposed, Exiguobacterium mexicanum sp. nov. (type strain 8N(T)=DSM 16483(T)=CIP 108859(T)) and Exiguobacterium artemiae sp. nov. (type strain 9AN(T)=DSM 16484(T)=CIP 108858(T)).