Marinicella meishanensis sp. nov., a novel Marinicella member isolated from coastal mudflat sediment of Meishan Islandin the East China Sea.

A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile and strictly aerobic strain, designated NBU2979T, was isolated from a coastal mudflat located on Meishan Island in the East China Sea. Strain NBU2979T grew optimally at 32 °C, with 2.0 % NaCl (w/v) and at pH 7.0-7.5. The predominant fatty acid (>10 %) was iso-C15 : 0. The major polar lipids included phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, an unidentified glycolipid, two unidentified aminophospholipids, an unidentified phospholipid and an unidentified lipid. The only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain NBU2979T exhibited highest similarity to Marinicella sediminis F2T (98.0 %), Marinicella marina S1101T (97.5 %), Marinicella litoralis KMM 3900T (96.6 %), Marinicella rhabdoformis 3539T (95.5 %), Marinicella pacifica sw153T (95.2 %) and Marinicella gelatinilytica S6413T (94.9 %). Phylogenetic analyses indicated that strain NBU2979T clustered with the genus Marinicella and was closely related to strain M. sediminis F2T. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain NBU2979T and related species of genus Marinicella were well below the threshold limit for prokaryotic species delineation. The DNA G+C content of strain NBU2979T was 51.6 mol%. Based on its phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genotypic data, strain NBU2979T (=KCTC 82911T=MCCC 1K06402T) is considered to be a representative of a novel species in the genus Marinicella, for which the name Marinicella meishanensis sp. nov. is proposed.

Views from 'crabworld': the spatial distribution of light in a tropical mudflat.

Natural scene analysis has been extensively used to understand how the invariant structure of the visual environment may have shaped biological image processing strategies. This paper deals with four crucial, but hitherto largely neglected aspects of natural scenes: (1) the viewpoint of specific animals; (2) the fact that image statistics are not independent of the position within the visual field; (3) the influence of the direction of illumination on luminance, spectral and polarization contrast in a scene; and (4) the biologically relevant information content of natural scenes. To address these issues, I recorded the spatial distribution of light in a tropical mudflat with a spectrographic imager equipped with a polarizing filter in an attempt to describe quantitatively the visual environment of fiddler crabs. The environment viewed by the crabs has a distinct structure. Depending on the position of the sun, the luminance, the spectral composition, and the polarization characteristics of horizontal light distribution are not uniform. This is true for both skylight and for reflections from the mudflat surface. The high-contrast feature of the line of horizon dominates the vertical distribution of light and is a discontinuity in terms of luminance, spectral distribution and of image statistics. On a clear day, skylight intensity increases towards the horizon due to multiple scattering, and its spectral composition increasingly resembles that of sunlight. Sky-substratum contrast is highest at short wavelengths. I discuss the consequences of this extreme example of the topography of vision for extracting biologically relevant information from natural scenes.

Alteromonas gilva sp. nov. and Erythrobacter fulvus sp. nov., isolated from a tidal mudflat.

Strains chi3T and sf7T were collected from a tidal mudflat around Dongmak beach in Ganghwa, Republic of Korea. Both strains were Gram-stain-negative, aerobic or facultatively anaerobic, and rod-shaped. Results of phylogenetic tree analysis based on 16S rRNA and whole-genome sequences suggested that strains chi3T and sf7T belong to the genera Alteromonas and Erythrobacter, respectively. The cells of strain chi3T were non-motile and grew at 15-45 °C (optimum, 38 °C), at pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 8.0) and in the presence of 0-9.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2.0 %). The cells of strain sf7T were motile as they had flagella and grew at 20-48 °C (optimum, 38 °C), at pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 9.0) and in the presence of 0-5.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.0 %). Strains chi3T and sf7T have average nucleotide identity values (70.0-70.4% and 78.9-81.7 %) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values (21.8-22.3% and 21.0-25.6 %) with reference strains in the genera Alteromonas and Erythrobacter, respectively. Data from digital DNA-DNA hybridization, as well as phylogenetic, biochemical and physiological analyses, indicated the distinction of the two strains from the genera Alteromonas and Erythrobacter, respectively, and we thus propose the names Alteromonas gilva sp. nov. (type strain chi3T=KACC 22866T=TBRC 16612T) and Erythrobacter fulvus sp. nov. (type strain sf7T=KACC 22865T=TBRC 16611T).

Phenology and thallus size in a non-native population of Gracilaria vermiculophylla.

Phenology, or seasonal variation in life cycle events, is poorly described for many macroalgal species. We describe the phenology of a non-native population of Gracilaria vermiculophylla whose thalli are free-living or anchored by decorating polychaetes to tube caps. At a site in South Carolina, USA, we sampled 100 thalli approximately every month from January 2014 to January 2015. We assessed the reproductive state and measured thallus size based on wet weight, thallus length, and thallus surface area from herbarium mounts. Because life cycle stage cannot be assigned using morphology, we implemented a PCR assay to determine the life cycle stage-tetrasporophyte, female gametophyte, or male gametophyte-of each thallus. Tetrasporophytes dominated throughout the year, making up 81%-100% of thalli sampled per month. Reproductive tetrasporophytes varied between 0% and 65% of monthly samples and were most common in warm summer months (July through September) when thalli also tended to be larger. The vast majority of the reproductive thalli were worm-anchored and not fixed to hard substratum via a holdfast. Thus, free-living thalli can be reproductive and potentially seed new non-native populations. Given G. vermiculophylla reproduction seems tied closely to temperature, our work suggests phenology may change with climate-related changes in seawater temperatures. We also highlight the importance of understanding the natural history of macroalgae to better understand the consequence of range expansions on population dynamics.

Application of the Electromagnetic Method to the Spatial Distribution of Subsurface Saline and Fresh Water in the Coastal Mudflat Area of Jiangsu Province.

Interfacial zones straddling terrestrial and marine realms, colloquially known as mudflats, epitomize a dynamic nexus between these environments and are fundamental to the coastal ecosystem. The investigation of these regions is paramount for facilitating infrastructural developments including ports, wharfs, cross-sea bridges, and the strategic utilization of freshwater resources sequestered from mainland islands amid ongoing economic progress. Terrestrial realms conventionally employ electromagnetic techniques as efficacious modalities to delineate subterranean geological information, encompassing structural details and water-bearing strata. However, the peculiar topographic and geological nuances of mudflat regions pose substantial challenges for the efficacious application of electromagnetic methodologies. The present paper endeavors to address these challenges by suggesting innovative modifications to the existing instrumentation and evolving novel data acquisition techniques specifically tailored for electromagnetic exploration within mudflat environments. This paper delves into the electrical characteristics of water-bearing layers within mudflats, and ascertains details pertaining to the subterranean structure and the spatial distribution of fresh and saline water resources, through the holistic interpretation of a multitude of profiles.

Amblyopinae Mitogenomes Provide Novel Insights into the Paraphyletic Origin of Their Adaptation to Mudflat Habitats.

The water-to-land transition is one of the most important events in evolutionary history of vertebrates. However, the genetic basis underlying many of the adaptations during this transition remains unclear. Mud-dwelling gobies in the subfamily Amblyopinae are one of the teleosts lineages that show terrestriality and provide a useful system for clarifying the genetic changes underlying adaptations to terrestrial life. Here, we sequenced the mitogenome of six species in the subfamily Amblyopinae. Our results revealed a paraphyletic origin of Amblyopinae with respect to Oxudercinae, which are the most terrestrial fishes and lead an amphibious life in mudflats. This partly explains the terrestriality of Amblyopinae. We also detected unique tandemly repeated sequences in the mitochondrial control region in Amblyopinae, as well as in Oxudercinae, which mitigate oxidative DNA damage stemming from terrestrial environmental stress. Several genes, such as ND2, ND4, ND6 and COIII, have experienced positive selection, suggesting their important roles in enhancing the efficiency of ATP production to cope with the increased energy requirements for life in terrestrial environments. These results strongly suggest that the adaptive evolution of mitochondrial genes has played a key role in terrestrial adaptions in Amblyopinae, as well as in Oxudercinae, and provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the water-to-land transition in vertebrates.

Genome Sequencing Provides Novel Insights into Mudflat Burrowing Adaptations in Eel Goby Taenioides sp. (Teleost: Amblyopinae).

Amblyopinae is one of the lineage of bony fish that preserves amphibious traits living in tidal mudflat habitats. In contrast to other active amphibious fish, Amblyopinae species adopt a seemly more passive lifestyle by living in deep burrows of mudflat to circumvent the typical negative effects associated with terrestriality. However, little is known about the genetic origin of these mudflat deep-burrowing adaptations in Amblyopinae. Here we sequenced the first genome of Amblyopinae species, Taenioides sp., to elucidate their mudflat deep-burrowing adaptations. Our results revealed an assembled genome size of 774.06 Mb with 23 pseudochromosomes anchored, which predicted 22,399 protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that Taenioides sp. diverged from the active amphibious fish of mudskipper approximately 28.3 Ma ago. In addition, 185 and 977 putative gene families were identified to be under expansion, contraction and 172 genes were undergone positive selection in Taenioides sp., respectively. Enrichment categories of top candidate genes under significant expansion and selection were mainly associated with hematopoiesis or angiogenesis, DNA repairs and the immune response, possibly suggesting their involvement in the adaptation to the hypoxia and diverse pathogens typically observed in mudflat burrowing environments. Some carbohydrate/lipid metabolism, and insulin signaling genes were also remarkably alterated, illustrating physiological remolding associated with nutrient-limited subterranean environments. Interestingly, several genes related to visual perception (e.g., crystallins) have undergone apparent gene losses, pointing to their role in the small vestigial eyes development in Taenioides sp. Our work provide valuable resources for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying mudflat deep-burrowing adaptations in Amblyopinae, as well as in other tidal burrowing teleosts.

Muricauda lutisoli sp. nov., isolated from mudflat.

A Gram-negative, nonmotile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain CAU 1631T, was isolated from a mudflat sample in the Republic of Korea. Strain CAU 1631T grew optimally at 30 °C, pH 6.5, and 1% (w/v) NaCl solution. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and 92 core genes indicated that strain CAU 1631T is a member of the genus Muricauda and most closely related to Muricauda oceanensis 40DY170T and Muricauda lutimaris SMK-108T (98.1%, both). The draft genome was 3.4 Mb with 3064 protein-coding genes, and the DNA G + C content was 43.3 mol%. The major fatty acids were iso-C15:0, iso-C17:0 3-OH, and iso-C15:0 G, and the major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-6. Based on the comprehensive taxonomic characterization, strain CAU 1631T is a novel species, for which the name Muricauda lutisoli sp. nov. has been proposed. The type strain is CAU 1631T (= KCTC 82456T = MCCC 1K06088T).

Actinoflavosides B-D, Flavonoid Type Glycosides from Tidal Mudflat-Derived Actinomyces.

Three new secondary metabolites, actinoflavosides B-D (1-3), were discovered in the culture broth of two actinomycete strains (JML48 and JMS33) that were isolated from tidal mudflat sediment in Muan, Republic of Korea. The planar structures of the actinoflavosides were elucidated by MS, UV, and NMR analyses. The stereochemistry of an aminosugar, 2,3,6-trideoxy-3-amino-ribopyranoside in the actinoflavosides was determined by J-based configuration analysis using values obtained from DQF-COSY experiments and modified Mosher's method. Actinoflavosides B-D (1-3) displayed antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and actinoflavoside D (3) significantly increased IL-2 production in mouse splenocytes.

Taeanamides A and B, Nonribosomal Lipo-Decapeptides Isolated from an Intertidal-Mudflat-Derived Streptomyces sp.

Two new lipo-decapeptides, namely taeanamides A and B (1 and 2), were discovered from the Gram-positive bacterium Streptomyces sp. AMD43, which was isolated from a mudflat sample from Anmyeondo, Korea. The exact molecular masses of 1 and 2 were revealed by high-resolution mass spectrometry, and the planar structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated using NMR spectroscopy. The absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were determined using a combined analysis of 1H-1H coupling constants and ROESY correlations, the advanced Marfey's method, and bioinformatics. The putative nonribosomal peptide synthetase pathway for the taeanamides was identified by analyzing the full genome sequence data of Streptomyces sp. AMD43. We also found that taeanamide A exhibited mild anti-tuberculosis bioactivity, whereas taeanamide B showed significant bioactivity against several cancer cell lines.

Hongsoonwoonella zoysiae gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Stappiaceae isolated from a tidal mudflat.

A Gram stain-negative bacterial strain, designated SY4-7T, was isolated from rhizosphere mudflat of a halophyte (Zoysia sinica) collected around Seonyu Island, Republic of Korea. Cells of the organism were strictly aerobic, non-sporulating, non-motile rods and grew at 20-42 °C, pH 6-8 and 1-6% (w/v) NaCl. The 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analyses revealed that strain SY4-7T formed an independent cluster separated from the recognized genera of the family Stappiaceae, which was also supported by phylogenomic analysis-based 92-core gene sequences. The type stains of the phylogenetically closest relatives were Stappia indica (95.6% sequence similarity), Stappia stellulata (95.1%) and Roseibium hamelinense (95.1%). The isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, three unidentified aminophospholipids, an unidentified phosphoglycolipid, an unidentified aminolipid, two unidentified phospholipids and an unidentified lipid. The major cellular fatty acids are C18:1ω7c and C19:1 cyclo ω8c. The G + C content of the genomic DNA is 60.7%. Discrimination of the organism from all the recognized genera of the family Stappiaceae was apparent by the chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic features. Based on the results presented here, strain SY4-7T (= KCTC 72226T = NBRC 113902T) represents a novel species of a new genus in the family Stappiaceae, for which the name Hongsoonwoonella zoysiae sp. nov. is proposed.

Roseibium limicola sp. nov., isolated from tidal mudflat.

A novel bacterium, designated strain CAU 1637T, was isolated from a tidal mudflat. Cells of strain CAU 1637T were Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, motile with single flagellum and rod-shaped. The optimum conditions for growth were observed at 30 °C, pH 6.0 and in the presence of 2 % (w/v) NaCl. The respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain CAU 1637T was closely related to the genus Roseibium, with the highest similarity to Roseibium aestuarii NRBC 112946T (97.4 %), followed by Roseibium hamelinense NRBC 16783T (96.8 %), Roseibium aquae JCM 19310T (96.4 %), Roseibium sediminis KCTC 52373T (95.8 %) and Roseibium denhamense JCM 10543T (95.3 %). The predominant cellular fatty acids were C18 : 1 ω7c 11-methyl and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c and/or C18 : 1 ω6c). The major polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol. The average nucleotide identity values between the novel isolate and related strains ranged from 71.0 to 76.4 %, and the DNA-DNA hybridization values ranged from 19.3 to 20.3 %. The G+C content was 58.4 mol% and the whole-genome size was 4.6 Mb, which included 17 contigs and 3931 protein-coding genes. Based on the taxonomic data, strain CAU 1637T represents a novel species of the genus Roseibium, for which the name Roseibium limicola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CAU 1637T (=KCTC 82429T=MCCC 1K06080T).

Marimonas lutisalis sp. nov., isolated from a tidal mudflat and emended description of the genus Marimonas.

A Gram-reaction-negative bacterial strain, designated GH1-19T, was isolated from a tidal mudflat sample collected in Gangwha Island, Republic of Korea. Cells of the novel micro-organism were strictly aerobic, non-sporulating, motile and rod-shaped. Growth occurred at 10-40 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 6-9 (pH 8) and in the presence of 1-9 % NaCl (3 %). Comparative analysis of complete or nearly complete 16S rRNA gene sequences exhibited that strain GH1-19T formed a distinct cluster between Marimonas arenosa CAU 1311T (97.42 % sequence similarity) and Aquicoccus porphyridii L1 8-17T (97.35 %). Similarity levels of 16S rRNA gene sequences between the novel strain and other members of the family Rhodobacteraceae were below 96.6 %. The isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. The major fatty acids were C18 : 1ω7c, C16 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 0 ω7c and/or C16 : 0 ω6c) and C12 : 0 3-OH. The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified aminolipid, an unidentified phospholipid and an unidentified lipid. The G+C content of the DNA was 63.2 mol% (draft genome). DNA-DNA relatedness value between the novel strain and the type strain of Marimonas arenosa was 12.7±9.0 %. On the basis of data from phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and DNA-DNA hybridization studies together with phylogenetic analyses, strain GH1-19T (=KCTC 62376T=DSM 106292T) represents a novel species of the genus Marimonas, for which the name Marimonas lutisalis sp. nov. is proposed, with the emended description of the genus Marimonas.

Kangsaoukella pontilimi gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Rhodobacteraceae isolated from a tidal mudflat.

A strictly aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, ovoid- and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain GH1-50T, was isolated from a tidal mudflat sample collected from Dongmak seashore on Gangwha Island, Republic of Korea. The organism showed growth at 20-40 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 7-8 (optimum, pH 7) and 2-6  % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 5 %). The pufLM genes were present but bacteriochlorophyll a was not detected. The major isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. The polar lipids were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, an unidentified aminolipid and five unidentified lipids. The predominant cellular fatty acids were C18 : 1 ω7c, C18 : 1 ω7c 11-methyl and C18 : 0. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons revealed that the isolate belonged to the family Rhodobacteraceae and was loosely associated with members of the recognized genera. The closest relative was the type strain of Pseudoruegeria marinistellae (96.8 % similarity) followed by Boseongicola aestuarii (96.4 %). Other members of the family shared 16S rRNA gene similarity values below 96.0 % to the novel isolate. The DNA G+C content calculated from the draft genome sequence was 64.0 %. The average amino acid identity, average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between genome sequences of strain GH1-50T and all the type strains of the recognized taxa compared were <70.0, <84.1 and <20.5 %, respectively. Based on data obtained by a polyphasic approach, strain GH1-50T (=KCTC 72224T=NBRC 113929T) represents a novel species of a new genus in the family Rhodobacteraceae, for which the name Kangsaoukella pontilimi gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed.

Aurantiacibacter rhizosphaerae sp. nov., isolated from a rhizosphere mudflat of a halophyte and proposal to reclassify Erythrobacter suaedae Lee et al. 2019. and Erythrobacter flavus Yoon et al. 2003 as Aurantiacibacter suaedae comb. nov. and Qipengyuania flava comb. nov., respectively.

A marine alphaproteobacterium, designated as strain GH3-10T, was isolated from the rhizosphere mud of a halophyte (Suaeda japonica) collected at the seashore of Gangwha Island, Republic of Korea. The isolate was found to be Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, catalase- and oxidase-positive, non-motile, short rods and produced orange-coloured colonies. The 16S rRNA gene- and whole genome-based phylogenetic analyses exhibited that strain GH3-10T belonged to the genus Aurantiacibacter and was most closely related to Aurantiacibacter atlanticus s21-N3T (98.7 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and Aurantiacibacter marinus KCTC 23554T (98.4 %). The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10. The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, sphingoglycolipid and an unidentified lipid. The major fatty acids were C18 : 1 ω7c, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c) and C18 : 1 ω7c 10-methyl. The DNA G+C content was 61.3 mol% (by genome). Average nucleotide identity and DNA-DNA relatedness values between the isolate and its phylogenetically closest relatives, together with phenotypic distinctness warranted the taxonomic description of a new species. On the basis of data obtained by a polyphasic approach, strain GH3-10T (=KCTC 62379T=JCM 32444T) represents a novel species of the genus Aurantiacibacter, for which the name Aurantiacibacter rhizosphaerae sp. nov. is proposed. According to phylogenetic coherence based on 16S rRNA genes and core genomes, it is also proposed that Erythrobacter suaedae Lee et al. 2019. and Erythrobacter flavus Yoon et al. 2003 be transferred to Aurantiacibacter suaedae comb. nov. and Qipengyuania flava comb. nov., respectively.

Seongchinamella unica gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from a tidal mudflat of beach, and transfer of Halioglobus sediminis to Seongchinamella sediminis comb. nov. and Halioglobus lutimaris to Pseudohalioglobus gen. nov. as Pseudohalioglobus lutimaris comb. nov.

A Gram-reaction-negative, motile by gliding, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain GH4-78T, was isolated from the tidal mudflat of a beach in the Republic of Korea. Cells were aerobic, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative and produced cream-coloured colonies. Q-8 was the only isoprenoid quinone. The major fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c and/or C18 : 1 ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω6c and/or C16 : 1 ω7c) and C16 : 0. The major polar lipids are phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. Results of phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain GH4-78T formed a distinct lineage with Halioglobus sediminis (98.2 % sequence similarity). The DNA G+C content was 59.9 mol%. The average nucleotide identity value with the closest relative was 82.90 %. On the basis of the results from phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses, strain GH4-78T (=KCTC 62383T=DSM 106349T) represents a novel species of a new genus in the family Halieaceae, for which the name Seongchinamella unica gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. Moreover, the transfers of Halioglobus sediminis Han et al. 2019 to Seongchinamella sediminis comb. nov. and Halioglobus lutimaris Shi et al. 2018 to Pseudohalioglobus gen. nov. as Pseudohalioglobus lutimaris comb. nov. are also proposed, with the emended description of the genus Halioglobus.

Sneathiella limimaris sp. nov., a marine alphaproteobacterium isolated from a tidal mudflat and emended description of the genus Sneathiella.

A novel marine bacterium, designated strain GH1-24T, was isolated from a tidal mudflat sample collected at Gangwha Island, Republic of Korea. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison exhibited that the novel isolate was most closely related to Sneathiella and formed a tight cluster with Sneathiella glossodoripedis JCM 23214T with 98.1 % sequence similarity. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to other Sneathiella species were low: Sneathiella chinensis LMG 23452T (96.1 %) and Sneathiellachungangensis CAU 1294T (95.8 %). Cells of the organism were Gram-reaction-negative, strictly aerobic, catalase- and oxidase-positive, motile rods and showed growth at 0.5-6 % NaCl, 20-42 °C and pH 6.0-8.0. The G+C content of the DNA was 54.9 mol%. The major isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. The major cellular fatty acids were C18 : 1ω7c, C16 : 0 and C19 : 0cyclo ω8c. The polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified aminophospholipid. The results of phenotypic and phylogenetic analyses and DNA-DNA relatedness studies suggest that the isolate can be a member of a novel species of the genus Sneathiella, for which the name Sneathiellalimimaris sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is GH1-24T (=KCTC 52846T=NBRC 113276T).

Altererythrobacter lutipelagi sp. nov., isolated from a tidal mudflat, and emended description of the genus Altererythrobacter.

A marine proteobacterium, designated strain GH1-16T, was isolated from a sample of tidal mudflat collected at the seashore of Gangwha Island, Republic of Korea and the taxonomic status was examined by a polyphasic approach. The isolate was Gram-reaction-negative, strictly aerobic, catalase- and oxidase-positive, non-motile, short-rod-shaped and produced yellow-coloured colonies. An absolute requirement for Na+ was observed. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10. The major polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and sphingoglycolipid. The dominant cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c) and C17 : 1ω6c. The DNA G+C content was 60.6 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain GH1-16T was closely related to members of the genus Altererythrobacter. The closest relative was Altererythrobacter marensis MSW-14T (97.3 % sequence similarity) followed by Altererythrobacter aquaemixtae JSSK-8T (96.8 %) and Altererythrobacter epoxidivorans JCS350T (96.7 %). The DNA relatedness of strain GH1-16T against its closest relative was 21.8-25.0 %. On the basis of data obtained by a polyphasic taxonomic approach, strain GH1-16T (=KCTC 52845T=NBRC 113275T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Altererythrobacter, for which the name Altererythrobacter lutipelagi sp. nov. is proposed.

Erythrobacter suaedae sp. nov., isolated from a rhizosphere mudflat of a halophyte (Suaeda japonica).

The taxonomic status of a Gram-reaction-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain GH3-15T, was examined by a polyphasic approach. The strain, which was isolated from the rhizosphere mudflat of a halophyte at the seashore of Gangwha Island, Republic of Korea, was found to belong to the family Erythrobacteraceae based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. The closest phylogenetic neighbour was Erythrobacter xanthus SM1501T (98.3 % sequence similarity). Levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of strain GH3-15T to other members of the family Erythrobacteracae were <97.1 %. The respiratory quinone was Q-10. The major fatty acids were C17 : 1ω6c, C18 : 1ω7c, C15 : 0 2-OH, 11-methyl C18 : 1ω7c and C17 : 0. The polar lipids were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and sphingoglycolipid. The novel isolate exhibited growth at 20-40 °C, at pH 5-9, and in the presence of 1-7 % (w/v) NaCl. DNA relatedness between strain GH3-15T and its closet relative was 32.9±8.8 %. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and DNA-DNA hybridization data, in addition to a distinct phylogenetic position, strain GH3-15T (=KCTC 62380T=JCM 32445T) represents a novel species of the genus Erythrobacter, for which the name Erythrobactersuaedae sp. nov. is proposed.

Martelella caricis sp. nov., isolated from a rhizosphere mudflat.

A novel marine bacterium, designated GH2-8T, was isolated from a rhizosphere mudflat of a halophyte (Carexscabrifolia) in Gangwha Island, Republic of Korea and its taxonomic status was investigated by a polyphasic approach. Cells of strain GH2-8T were Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, oxidase-positive, catalase-positive and non-motile rods that showed growth at 10-30 °C, pH 5-10 and 0-11 % (w/v) NaCl. The predominant respiratory quinone was Q-10. The polar lipids were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified aminolipid, an unidentified glycolipid and two unidentified lipids. The major fatty acids were summed feature 8, C16 : 0, C19 : 0cyclo ω8c, C18 : 1ω7c 11-methyl and summed feature 2. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 53.4 mol%. Comparative analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the organism belonged to the order 'Rhizobiales' and formed a distinct subline at the root of radiation encompassing members of the genus Martelella. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to the phylogenetic neighbours were Martelella mediterranea (97.1 %), Martelella suaedae (96.9 %), Martelella endophytica (96.6 %), Martelella limonii (96.3 %), Martelella mangrovi (96.1 %) and Martelella radicis (95.5 %). Strain GH2-8T showed low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities (<93.8 %) to other representatives of the order 'Rhizobiales'. On the basis of the results of phenotypic and phylogenetic analyses, strain GH2-8T (=KACC 19402T=KCCM 90275T=KCTC 62126T=NBRC 113213T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Martelella for which the name Martelellacaricis sp. nov. is proposed.