Roseobacter gallaeciensis sp. nov., a new marine bacterium isolated from rearings and collectors of the scallop Pecten maximus.

Four bacterial strains were isolated from larval cultures and collectors of the scallop Pecten maximus. They showed a high level of intragroup genomic relatedness (84-95%) as determined by DNA-DNA hybridization. The cells were Gram-negative, strictly aerobic, motile, ovoid rods. They grew at temperatures from 15 to 37 degrees C and from pH 7.0 to 10, but did not grow in the absence of NaCl and required growth factors. They had the ability to use a wide variety of compounds as sole carbon source: D-mannose, D-galactose, D-fructose, D-glucose, D-xylose, melibiose, trehalose, maltose, cellobiose, sucrose, mesoerythritol, D-mannitol, glycerol, D-sorbitol, meso-inositol, succinate, propionate, butyrate, gamma-aminobutyrate, DL-hydroxybutyrate, 2-ketoglutarate, pyruvate, fumarate, glycine, L-alpha-alanine, beta-alanine, L-glutamate, L-arginine, L-lysine, L-ornithine and L-proline. They exhibited oxidase and catalase activities but no denitrification activity. The isolates did not contain bacteriochlorophyll a. The G + C content ranged from 57.6 to 58 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA sequence revealed that these isolates belong to the genus Roseobacter. On the basis of quantitative hybridization data, it is proposed that these isolates should be placed in a new species, Roseobacter gallaeciensis. The type strain is Roseobacter gallaeciensis BS107T (= CIP 105210T).