Halorubrum arcis sp. nov., an extremely halophilic archaeon isolated from a saline lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China.

A Gram-negative, aerobic, neutrophilic and extremely halophilic archaeon (strain AJ201(T)), isolated from Ayakekum salt lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, was investigated by a polyphasic approach. The DNA G+C content of strain AJ201(T) was 65.7 mol%. The major polar lipid profile and phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences supported the allocation of the strain to the genus Halorubrum. The results of DNA-DNA hybridizations and physiological and biochemical tests allowed genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of strain AJ201(T) from closely related species. Therefore, strain AJ201(T) represents a novel species of the genus Halorubrum, for which the name Halorubrum arcis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is strain AJ201(T) (=CGMCC 1.5343(T)=JCM 13916(T)).