Planomicrobium flavidum sp. nov., isolated from a marine solar saltern, and transfer of Planococcus stackebrandtii Mayilraj et al. 2005 to the genus Planomicrobium as Planomicrobium stackebrandtii comb. nov.

A Gram-positive to Gram-variable, motile and coccoid- or short rod-shaped bacterial strain, ISL-41(T), was subjected to a polyphasic study to investigate its exact taxonomic position. Strain ISL-41(T) grew optimally at pH 7.0-8.0 and 30 degrees C. It contained MK-8 and MK-7 as the predominant menaquinones and anteiso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(16 : 0), anteiso-C(17 : 0) and C(16 : 1)omega7c alcohol as the major fatty acids. The DNA G+C content was 45.9 mol%. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain ISL-41(T) belonged to the genus Planomicrobium. The levels of similarity between the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain ISL-41(T) and those of the type strains of recognized Planomicrobium species and Planococcus stackebrandtii were 97.4-98.6 %. Mean DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain ISL-41(T) and the type strains of Planomicrobium species and Planococcus stackebrandtii were 13-25 %. Differential phenotypic properties, together with the phylogenetic and genetic distinctiveness, showed that strain ISL-41(T) could be differentiated from recognized Planomicrobium species and Planococcus stackebrandtii. On the basis of the phenotypic, phylogenetic and genetic data, strain ISL-41(T) is considered to represent a novel species within the genus Planomicrobium, for which the name Planomicrobium flavidum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ISL-41(T) (=KCTC 13261(T)=CCUG 56756(T)). It is also proposed that Planococcus stackebrandtii be transferred to the genus Planomicrobium as Planomicrobium stackebrandtii comb. nov. (type strain K22-03(T)=MTCC 6226(T)=DSM 16419(T)=JCM 12481(T)).