A strictly aerobic, Gram-stain negative, long rod-shaped, motile by gliding and yellow pigmented bacterium, designated strain w01T, was isolated from marine sediment. The strain was characterised to determine its taxonomic position by using a polyphasic approach. Strain w01T was observed to grow optimally in the presence of 3.0% (w/v) NaCl, at 30 °C and to hydrolyse Tweens 20, 40 and 80, starch, casein and alginate. Carotenoid pigments were found to be produced but not flexirubin-type pigments. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, strain w01T is phylogenetically affiliated with the genus Aquimarina and is closely related to Aquimarina macrocephali JCM 15542T (97.4% sequence similarity) and Aquimarina muelleri KCTC 12285T (97.0%). Lower sequence similarities (< 97.0%) were found with the other currently recognised members of the genus Aquimarina. The predominant fatty acids were identified as iso-C15:0 (33.7%), C18:0 3-OH (16.8%) and C17:1ω7c (10.6%). The polar lipid profile was found to contain phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified aminolipid and two unidentified polar lipids. MK-6 was identified as the sole respiratory quinone. The G + C content of the genomic DNA was determined to be 33.3 mol%. Strain w01T can be differentiated genotypically and phenotypically from recognised species of the genus Aquimarina. The isolate is therefore concluded to represent a novel species, for which the name Aquimarina sediminis sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain w01T (= KCTC 62350T = MCCC 1H00287T).
Keywords: 16S rRNA gene; Aquimarina; Polyphasic taxonomy.