Thalassomonas agarivorans sp. nov., a marine agarolytic bacterium isolated from shallow coastal water of An-Ping Harbour, Taiwan, and emended description of the genus Thalassomonas

Abstract

A marine agarolytic bacterium, designated strain TMA1(T), was isolated from a seawater sample collected in a shallow-water region of An-Ping Harbour, Taiwan. It was non-fermentative and Gram-negative. Cells grown in broth cultures were straight or curved rods, non-motile and non-flagellated. The isolate required NaCl for growth and exhibited optimal growth at 25 degrees C and 3 % NaCl. It grew aerobically and was incapable of anaerobic growth by fermenting glucose or other carbohydrates. Predominant cellular fatty acids were C(16 : 0) (17.5 %), C(17 : 1)omega8c (12.8 %), C(17 : 0) (11.1 %), C(15 : 0) iso 2-OH/C(16 : 1)omega7c (8.6 %) and C(13 : 0) (7.3 %). The DNA G + C content was 41.0 mol%. Phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data accumulated in this study revealed that the isolate could be classified in a novel species of the genus Thalassomonas in the family Colwelliaceae. The name Thalassomonas agarivorans sp. nov. is proposed for the novel species, with TMA1(T) (=BCRC 17492(T) = JCM 13379(T)) as the type strain.