A strictly aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, gliding, rod-shaped bacteria, designated strain S481T, was isolated from a surface seawater sample collected at Gunsan marina, in the West Sea of the Republic of Korea. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain S481T formed a monophyletic clade with members of the genus Fulvivirga, showing 93.7-95.8% sequence similarity to the type strains. Strain S481T has a single circular chromosome of 4.13 Mbp with a DNA G+C content of 37.3 mol%. The values of average nucleotide identity, average amino acid identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization between strain S481T and all genome-sequenced species of the genus Fulvivirga were below 71.2%, 68.6% and 18.9%, respectively, indicating lower values than the standard cut-offs for species delineation. Growth was observed at 20-42 °C (optimum, 37 °C), at pH 6-8 (optimum, pH 7) and with 0 - 6 % NaCl (optimum, 1-2 %). The major fatty acids (>10%) were iso-C15:0, iso-C15:1 G and C16:1ω5c. The respiratory quinone was MK-7. The major polar lipids were identified as phosphatidylethanolamine, three unidentified aminolipids and five unidentified lipids. Based on the results of phenotypic characterization, phylogenetic analysis and genome-based comparison, strain S481T represents a novel species in the genus Fulvivirga, for which we propose the name Fulvivirga lutea sp. nov. The type strain is S481T (=KCTC 82209T=JCM 34505T).
Keywords: Fulvivirga lutea; Fulvivirgaceae; seawater.