Taxonomic positions of six isolates, which were recovered from two different environments in Jeju, Republic of Korea, were examined by a polyphasic analysis. Cells of the isolates were Gram-reaction-negative, facultatively anaerobic, motile and rod-shaped and showed growth at 4-30 °C, pH 4.0-9.0 and with 0-6 (w/v) NaCl. In phylogenomic analysis based on 92 single-copy core genes, it was shown that the isolates belonged to the genus Rahnella and formed three distinct sublines within the genus. The isolates shared 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of 97.9-100 % with one another. The isolates contained ubiquinone-8 was as the major isoprenoid quinone. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified aminophospholipid. The predominant fatty acids were C16 : 0 and C17 : 0 cyclo. The G+C content of their genomic DNA was 52.8-53.1 %. Average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values supported that strains SAP-17T and Lac-M11T represented two new species of the genus Rahnella, whereas strain SAP-10 was a strain of Rahnella victoriana. Based on the results obtained here, Rahnella laticis sp. nov. (type strain SAP-17T=KCTC 72960T=NBRC 114723T=CCM 9079T) and Rahnella contaminans sp. nov. (type strain Lac-M11T=KACC 21743T=NBRC 114406T) are proposed. Also, an emended description of the genus Rahnella is given on the basis of our physiological and chemotaxonomic results.
Keywords: Acer pictum; Rahnella; core gene; new species; raw rice wine; tree sap.