LAUSR

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, mesophilic, short rod-shaped, aerobic bacterium designated as 318-1T was isolated from a marine sediment collected from Masan Bay, South Korea. Strain 318-1T grew optimally at pH 6-7, at 30 °C and in the presence of 2-3 % (w/v) NaCl, tolerant of up to 8 % (w/v) NaCl, and accumulated poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB). A comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain 318-1T formed a distinct phyletic lineage in the genus Ruegeria (family Rhodobacteraceae, class Alphaproteobacteria) and showed high sequence similarity to Ruegeria halocynthiae DSM 27839T (96.5 %) and Shimia haliotis DSM 28453T (96.3 %). Comparing the genome sequence of 318-1T with those of the type strains of seven species of the genus Rugeria and two species of the genus Shimia: the values obtained were below the thresholds with analysis of average nucleotide identities (ANI, 71.6-76.8 %) and in silico DNA-DNA hybridisation, genome-to-genome distance calculator (GGDC, 18.5-20.6 %). The DNA G+C content was 65.75 mol%. Chemotaxonomic data [predominant quinone ubiquinone Q10; polar lipid profile consisting of major compounds phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), an unidentified aminolipid and an unidentified lipid; major fatty acids summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c)] supported the affiliation of strain 318-1T to the Genus Ruegeria. Genomic, chemotaxonomic, and phenotypic differentiation of strain 318-1T from the members of the genus Ruegeria support as a novel species. On the basis of the results in this study, a novel species, Ruegeria lutea sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is 318-1T (=JCM 30927T=KEMB 7306-525T=KCTC 72105T).