Prosthecochloris indica sp. nov., a novel green sulfur bacterium from a marine aquaculture pond, Kakinada, India.

A green sulfur bacterium, strain JAGS6T was isolated from a marine aquaculture pond located near Kakinada on the east coast of India. Cells of strain JAGS6T were Gram-negative, non-motile, coccoid, 1-1.2 microm in diameter, with prosthecae. Phylogenetic analysis on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain JAGS6T clusters with members of the genus Prosthecochloris and the sequence similarity with the nearest relative, Prosthecochloris vibrioformis, is 96.7%. Cultures of strain JAGS6T are green in color and the cells contain bacteriochlorophyll c and most likely carotenoids of the chlorobactene series as photosynthetic pigments. Strain JAGS6T is mesophilic, halotolerant (up to 7% NaCl) and is obligately phototrophic, utilizing sulfide but not thiosulfate as a photosynthetic electron donor. Sulfur globules are deposited outside the cells during oxidation of sulfide. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and its morphological and physiological characteristics, strain JAGS6T is distinct from described species of the genus Prosthecochloris and we propose to describe it as a new species, Prosthecochloris indica, sp. nov. The type strain is JAGS6T (=JCM 13299T=ATCC BAA1214T).