RESUMO
Three novel facultatively methylotrophic bacteria, strains 3CT, 1A, 8P, were isolated from activated sludges. The isolates were aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, non-spore forming rods multiplying by binary fission. The predominant polar lipids were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethylethanolamine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, and diphosphatidylglycerol. The major fatty acids of cells were С18:1ω7c, C19:0ω8c cyclo and C16:0. Levels of 16S rRNA gene similarity indicates that the closely relatives are representatives of the genera Starkeya, Ancylobacter, Angulomicrobium and Methylorhabdus (96.4-99.4%). Genomic comparisons of 3CT and its closest relatives, S. novella DSM 506T and S. koreensis Jip08T, shared 87.3 and 86.8% nucleotide identity and 28.3 and 26.8% digital DNA-DNA hybridization values, respectively. The average amino acid identities between the strain 3CT and representatives of Starkeya, Ancylobacter and Angulomicrobium were in the range of 75.6-84.3%, which combines these strains into a single genus and gives rise to their reclassification. Based on polyphasic analyses, the strains 3CT, 1A, 8P represents a novel species of the genus Ancylobacter, for which the name Ancylobacter moscoviensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 3CT (= VKM B-3218T = KCTC 62336T). Furthermore, we also suggested the reclassification of Starkeya novella as Ancylobacter novellus comb. nov., Starkeya koreensis as Ancylobacter koreensis comb. nov., Angulomicrobium tetraedrale as Ancylobacter tetraedralis comb. nov., Angulomicrobium amanitiforme as Ancylobacter amanitiformis comb. nov. and Methylorhabdus multivorans as Ancylobacter multivorans comb. nov. with the emended description of the genus Ancylobacter.