Gibbsiella papilionis sp. nov., isolated from the intestinal tract of the butterfly Mycalesis gotama, and emended description of the genus Gibbsiella.

A novel Gram-negative, non-motile, facultative anaerobic and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain LEN33(T), was isolated from the intestinal tract of a butterfly (Mycalesis gotama). Strain LEN33(T) grew optimally at 37 °C in the presence of 1 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 9. The novel strain was oxidase-negative and catalase-positive. The major cellular fatty acids were C14 : 0, C16 : 0 and cyclo-C17 : 0. Strain LEN33(T) contained two unidentified lipids, three unidentified amino-phospholipids, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG). The major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone-8 (Q-8). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain LEN33(T) was most closely related to Gibbsiella quercinecans FRB 97(T) and Gibbsiella dentisursi NUM 1720(T), with 98.7 % similarities. DNA-DNA hybridization experiments indicated less than 40.7 ± 2 % relatedness to the closest phylogenetic species, G. quercinecans FRB 97(T). The G+C content of genomic DNA was 58.7 mol%. Phenotypic, phylogenetic and genotypic analysis indicated that strain LEN33(T) represents a novel species within the genus Gibbsiella, for which the name Gibbsiella papilionis is proposed. The type strain is referred to as LEN33(T) ( = KACC 16707(T) = JCM 18389(T)). An emended description of the genus Gibbsiella is also proposed.