A Gram-staining-positive, aerobic, non-spore-forming, irregular rod-shaped actinobacterium, designated YIM C00895(T), was isolated from a soil sample collected from Jiuxiang Scenic Region, Yunnan province, south-west China. The strain was able to grow at 10-28 °C, pH 6.0-10.0 and 0-11% NaCl (w/v). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA (95.3%) gene sequences revealed the highest similarity to Tomitella biformata AHU1821(T). The whole-cell hydrolysates of strain YIM C00895(T) contained meso-diaminopimelic acid, arabinose and galactose, indicating chemotype IV. The muramic acids in the peptidoglycan were glycolated. The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol mannosides and an unidentified glycolipid. MK-9(H2) was the predominant menaquinone. The major fatty acids were C14 : 0, C16 : 0, C16 : 1 and C18 : 1ω9c and tuberculostearic acid (10-methyl C18 : 0) was present in relatively small amounts (4.5%). TLC analysis of its cellular mycolic acids showed a similar profile to Tomitella biformata DSM 45403(T). The DNA G+C content of the strain was 67.5 mol%. The results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed strain YIM C00895(T) to be differentiated phenotypically from Tomitella biformata DSM 45403(T). On the basis of evidence from this polyphasic study, the novel species Tomitella cavernea sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Tomitella cavernea is YIM C00895(T) ( = DSM 45788(T) = JCM 18542(T)).
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