Halomonas ilicicola sp. nov., a moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from a saltern

A Gram-negative, heterotrophic, aerobic, pale orange-pigmented, non-endospore-forming and motile bacterial strain, designated strain SP8(T), was isolated from a salty water sample from the solar salterns of Santa Pola, located on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. The strain grew optimally at 37 degrees C, pH 6.5 and in the presence of 10 % NaCl. A polyphasic taxonomic study was conducted in order to characterize the strain in detail. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons indicated that strain SP8(T) clustered within the branch constituted by species of the genus Halomonas. The closest phylogenetic neighbours of strain SP8(T) were Halomonas muralis LMG 20969(T) (96.0 % sequence similarity), Halomonas pantelleriensis AAP(T) (95.9 %) and Halomonas campaniensis 5AG(T) (95.8 %). Phenotypic features, the fatty acid profile and the DNA G+C content of the novel strain further supported its placement in the genus Halomonas. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic distinctiveness, it is suggested that strain SP8(T) represents a novel species for which the name Halomonas ilicicola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SP8(T) (=CECT 7331(T)=CCM 7522(T)=DSM 19980(T)).