Bacterial strain CCP-6T, isolated from a freshwater pond in Taiwan, was characterized using a polyphasic taxonomy approach. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and an up-to-date bacterial core gene set (92 protein clusters) indicated that strain CCP-6T is affiliated with species in the genus Rhodovarius. Strain CCP-6T was most closely related to Rhodovarius lipocyclicus CCUG 44693T with a 98.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped and formed light pink-coloured colonies. Optimal growth occurred at 30 °C, pH 6 and in the absence of NaCl. The major fatty acids of strain CCP-6T were C18 : 1 ω7c, C16 : 0 and C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c. The polar lipid profile consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, three unidentified aminophospholipids and an unidentified phospholipid. The predominant polyamine was spermidine. The major isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. The DNA G+C content of the genomic DNA was 69.3 mol%. Strain CCP-6T showed 85.8% average nucleotide identity and 14.5% digital DNA-DNA hybridization identity with Rhodovarius lipocyclicus CCUG 44693T. On the basis of the genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data, strain CCP-6T represents a novel species in the genus Rhodovarius, for which the name Rhodovarius crocodyli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CCP-6T (=BCRC 81095T=LMG 30310T=KCTC 62188T).
Keywords: Acetobacteraceae; Alphaproteobacteria; Rhodospirillales; Rhodovarius crocodyli sp. nov..