Reclassification of the three species of the genus Krokinobacter into the genus Dokdonia as Dokdonia genika comb. nov., Dokdonia diaphoros comb. nov. and Dokdonia eikasta comb. nov., and emended description of the genus Dokdonia Yoon et al. 2005.

The genera Dokdonia and Krokinobacter, members of the family Flavobacteriaceae in the phylum Bacteroidetes, were found to be phylogenetically closely related from the result of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Dokdonia donghaensis DSW-1(T) exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 99.3, 98.1 and 98.1% to Krokinobacter genikus Cos-13(T), Krokinobacter diaphorus MSKK-32(T) and Krokinobacter eikastus PMA-26(T), respectively. A taxonomic study of D. donghaensis DSW-1(T), K. genikus CIP 108744(T), K. diaphorus CIP 108745(T) and K. eikastus CIP 108743(T) was conducted using a polyphasic approach. The major fatty acids (>10% of the total fatty acids) in the four strains were iso-C(15:0), iso-C(15:1) G and iso-C(17:0) 3-OH, and their overall fatty acid profiles were essentially similar. The predominant menaquinone found in the type strains of the three species of the genus Krokinobacter was MK-6, in line with the genus Dokdonia. The polar lipid profiles of the type strains of the three species of the genus Krokinobacter were similar to that of D. donghaensis DSW-1(T) in that phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified aminolipid and one unidentified lipid were the major polar lipids. In addition, one unidentified aminophospholipid was also present as a major polar lipid in K. diaphorus CIP 108745(T) and K. eikastus CIP 108743(T). D. donghaensis DSW-1(T) was distinguishable from K. genikus CIP 108744(T), K. diaphorus CIP 108745(T) and K. eikastus CIP 108743(T) by genetic relatedness and differential phenotypic properties. On the basis of these data, it is proposed that K. genikus, K. diaphorus and K. eikastus be reclassified into the genus Dokdonia as Dokdonia genika comb. nov. (type strain is Cos-13(T) = NBRC 100811(T) = CIP 108744(T)), Dokdonia diaphoros comb. nov. (type strain is MSKK-32(T) = NBRC 100817(T) = CIP 108745(T)), and Dokdonia eikasta comb. nov. (type strain is PMA-26(T) = NBRC 100814(T) = CIP 108743(T)), respectively. An emended description of the genus Dokdonia is also presented.