Idiomarina halophila sp. Nov., isolated from a solar saltern sediment

A Gram-stain-negative, halophilic bacterium, designated strain BH195^T, was isolated from the sediment of the solar saltern pond located in Gomso, Republic of Korea. Strain BH195^T was a strictly aerobic, non-motile rod, which grew at pH 3.5–10.5 (optimum, pH 7.5), at 4–55^°C (optimum, 30^°C) and at salinities of 0.5–11% (w/v) NaCl [optimum, 2–3% (w/v) NaCl]. Phylogenetic analysis, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, indicated that strain BH195^T belongs to the genus Idiomarina, showing the highest sequence similarity to Idiomarina salinarum ISL-52^T (97.4%), Idiomarina homiensis PO-M2^T (96.8%), Idiomarina aestuarii KYW314^T (96.7%), and Idiomarina tainanensis PIN1^T (96.7%). The major cellular fatty acids of strain BH195T were iso-C_11:0 3-OH, iso-C_15:0 and iso-C_11:0. The DNA G+C content was 51.3 mol% and the major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone 8. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and an unknown phospholipid. DNA–DNA relatedness between strain BH195T and I. salinarum KCTC 12971^T was 33%. On the basis of this polyphasic analysis, strain BH195^T represents a novel species of the genus Idiomarina for which the name Idiomarina halophila sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BH195^T (=KACC 17610T=NCAIM B 02544^T).