A novel Actinobacterium strain YIM 131861 T, was isolated from lichen collected from the South Bank Forest of the Baltic Sea, Germany. It was Gram-stain-positive, strictly aerobic, catalase positive and oxidase negative, yellow pigmented. Cells were motile with a polar flagellum, irregular rod shaped and did not display spore formation. The strain grew at 15 - 30 °C (optimum 25 °C), at pH 6.0 - 10.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and in the presence of 0 - 1.5% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 1%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain YIM 131861 T belonged to the genus Glaciibacter, and exhibited a high sequence similarity (96.4%) with Glaciibacter superstes NBRC 104264 T. The genomic DNA G + C content of strain YIM 131861 T was 68.2 mol%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between strain YIM 131861 T and Glaciibacter superstes NBRC 104264 T were 73.2 and 19.9% based on the draft genome sequence. The cell-wall peptidoglycan type was B2γ and contained the 2, 4-diaminobutyric acid as the diagnostic amino acid. Whole cell sugars were galactose, rhamnose, ribose and glucose. It contained MK-12 and MK-13 as the predominant menaquinones. The major cellular fatty acids (> 10%) were identified as anteiso-C15:0, iso-C16:0 and anteiso-C17:0. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and two unknown glycolipids. Based on the results of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses, strain YIM 131861 T should belong to the genus Glaciibacter and represents a novel species of the genus Glaciibacter, for which the name Glaciibacter flavus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 131861 T (= CGMCC 1.16588 T = NBRC 113572 T).
Keywords: Glaciibacter; Glaciibacter flavus sp. nov.; Lichen.