Zhihengliuella alba sp. nov., and emended description of the genus Zhihengliuella.

A Gram-positive, non-motile, white-pigmented, short rod actinobacterium, designated YIM 90734T, was isolated from a saline soil sample collected from Ganjiahu Suosuo Forest National Nature Reserve in Xinjiang province, north-west China, and its taxonomic position was investigated by using a polyphasic approach. Strain YIM 90734T grew optimally at 28-37 degrees C and pH 6.0-8.0 and in 5% (w/v) NaCl. The peptidoglycan type was A4alpha, L-Lys-L-Ala-L-Glu and tyvelose and mannose were the major cell-wall sugars. The predominant menaquinones were MK-10 and MK-9. Major cellular fatty acids (>10% of total) were anteiso-C15:0 and anteiso-C17:0. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, one unknown phospholipid and two unknown glycolipids. The DNA G+C content was 70.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain YIM 90734T belonged to the genus Zhihengliuella. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain YIM 90734T and the type strain of the only recognized Zhihengliuella species, Zhihengliuella halotolerans, was 97.7%. However, the level of DNA-DNA relatedness of the two strains was 41.4%. The DNA-DNA relatedness data and differential phenotypic properties, together with the phylogenetic distinctiveness, demonstrated that strain YIM 90734T could be differentiated from Z. halotolerans. On the basis of the data presented, strain YIM 90734T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Zhihengliuella, for which the name Zhihengliuella alba sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 90734T (=KCTC 19375T=DSM 21143T). The description of the genus Zhihengliuella has also been emended.