Chitinophaga terrae sp. nov., isolated from soil.

A novel strain, designated KP01(T), belonging to the class Sphingobacteria (phylum Bacteroidetes) was isolated from soil in South Korea and was characterized taxonomically using a polyphasic approach. The strain was found to comprise Gram-negative, aerobic, non-motile, non-spore-forming rods. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the strain belonged to the genus Chitinophaga but was clearly separated from established Chitinophaga species. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities between KP01(T) and type strains of established Chitinophaga species ranged from 90.3 to 95.7 %. Phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data (major menaquinone, MK-7; major fatty acids, iso-C(15 : 0) and C(16 : 1) omega 5c; major hydroxy fatty acid, C(17 : 0) iso 3-OH) supported the affiliation of strain KP01(T) with the genus Chitinophaga. Therefore strain KP01(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Chitinophaga terrae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KP01(T) (=KCTC 12836(T) =LMG 24015(T)).