Reclassification of Sphingobacterium antarcticum Shivaji et al. 1992 as Pedobacter antarcticus comb. nov. and Pedobacter piscium (Takeuchi and Yokota 1993) Steyn et al. 1998 as a later heterotypic synonym of Pedobacter antarcticus

The taxonomic position of Sphingobacterium antarcticum has been revised by means of 16S rRNA gene sequences, DNA-DNA hybridization, and phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics. All data previously reported, as well as the results of the present phylogenetic analysis, support that Sphingobacterium antarcticum is clearly a member of the genus Pedobacter, also affiliated with the family Sphingobacteriaceae. We propose that Sphingobacterium antarcticum (corrig. Shivaji et al. 1992) should be reclassified as Pedobacter antarcticus comb. nov.