Halobacillus yeomjeoni sp. nov., isolated from a marine solar saltern in Korea

A Gram-positive or Gram-variable, motile, endospore-forming, halophilic bacterial strain, MSS-402^T, was isolated from a marine solar saltern in Korea, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Some cells of strain MSS-402^T were long filamentous rods. The isolate grew optimally at 37°C and in the presence of 3-5 % (w/v) NaCl. Strain MSS-402^T had cell-wall peptidoglycan based on L-Orn-D-Asp, MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone and anteiso-C_15:0, anteiso-C_17:0 and iso-C_16:0 as major fatty acids. The DNA G+C content was 42.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain MSS-402^T falls within the evolutionary radiation of species of the genus Halobacillus. Levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain MSS-402^T and the type strains of recognized Halobacillus species ranged from 98.0 % (with Halobacillus halophilus) to 99.2 % (with Halobacillus litoralis and Halobacillus trueperi). Levels of DNA-DNA binding indicated that strain MSS-402^T represents a genomic species that is distinct from recognized Halobacillus species. Strain MSS-402^T was differentiated from Halobacillus species by means of several phenotypic characteristics. On the basis of its phenotypic properties and phylogenetic and genetic distinctiveness, strain MSS-402^T (= KCTC 3957^T = DSM 17110^T) should be classified as the type strain of a novel Halobacillus species, for which the name Halobacillus yeomjeoni sp. nov. is proposed.