Neptuniibacter pectenicola sp. nov. and Neptuniibacter marinus sp. nov., two novel species isolated from a Great scallop (Pecten maximus) hatchery in Norway and emended description of the genus Neptuniibacter.

Nine isolates obtained from a great scallop hatchery in Norway were characterized using a polyphasic approach. Strains were Gram-negative, aerobic and motile rods with oxidative metabolism. Phylogenetic analysis based on the sequences of 16S rRNA and rpoB genes showed that these strains formed two different groups associated with members of the genus Neptuniibacter. DNA-DNA hybridization (DDH) and Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) demonstrated that the isolates constituted two novel species of this genus, which can be phenotypically differentiated from their closest relatives. The names Neptuniibacter marinus sp. nov. and Neptuniibacter pectenicola sp. nov are proposed, with ATR 1.1T (=CECT 8938T=DSM 100783T) and LFT 1.8T (=CECT 8936T=DSM 100781T) as respective type strains.