Pseudovibrio japonicus sp. nov., isolated from coastal seawater in Japan.

A Gram-negative, motile, rod-shaped bacterium (WSF2(T)) was isolated from coastal seawater of the Boso Peninsula in Japan. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain WSF2(T) represented a separate lineage within the genus Pseudovibrio. The DNA G+C content of strain WSF2(T) was 51.7 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain WSF2(T) and the type strains of Pseudovibrio species were significantly lower than those accepted as the phylogenetic definition of a species. Furthermore, some biochemical characteristics indicated that strain WSF2(T) differed from other Pseudovibrio species. Based on these characteristics, it is proposed that the isolate represents a novel species, Pseudovibrio japonicus sp. nov. The type strain is WSF2(T) (=IAM 15442(T)=NCIMB 14279(T)=KCTC 12861(T)).