re-evaluation of the taxonomy of the genus anaerovibrio, with the reclassification of Anaerovibrio glycerini as Anaerosinus glycerini gen. nov., comb. nov., and Anaerovibrio burkinabensis as Anaeroarcus burkinensis [corrig.] gen. nov., comb. nov

1 Microbial Ecology Group, Division of Microbiology, Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Forschung mbH, Mascheroder Weg 1, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany 2 Electron Microscopy Unit, Division of Microbiology, Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Forschung mbH, Mascheroder Weg 1, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany 3 Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen, Mascheroder Weg 1 b, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany 4 Rumen Microbiology Unit, AgResearch Grasslands Centre, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North, New Zealand Author for correspondence: Carsten Strömpl. Tel: +49 531 6181 405. Fax: +49 531 6181 411. e-mail: cst{at}gbf.de ABSTRACT Chemotaxonomic, electron microscopic and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses of the three described species of the genus Anaerovibrio demonstrated only remote similarities to each other. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities between Anaerovibrio lipolytica, Anaerovibrio glycerini and Anaerovibrio burkinabensis and the derived phylogenetic relationships of the three specie studied fell below genus level. All three species clustered within the Sporomusa-Pectinatus-Selenomonas phyletic group. Each species showed a distinct phospholipid pattern and whole-cell fatty acid distribution. Several isoprenologues of the lipoquinone ‘lipid F’ were found to differ in their quantitative distribution in the Anaerovibrio species. On the basis of these results, the new genera Anaerosinus gen. nov. and Anaeroarcus gen. nov. are proposed. The type species of Anaerosinus is Anaerosinus glycerini comb. nov., and the type species of Anaeroarcus is Anaeroarcus burkinensis [corrig.] comb. nov. The genus Anaerovibrio is consequently restricted to a single species, namely Anaerovibrio lipolyticus [corrig.]. Key Words: Anaerovibrio • Sporomusa-Pectinatus-Selenomonas phyletic group • polyphasic taxonomy • Anaerosinus gen. nov. • Anaeroarcus gen. nov. Present address: Section of Microbiology, 156 Wing Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession numbers for the 16S rRNA gene sequences determined in this study are as follows: AJ010959 ( Anaerovibrio lipolytica DSM 3074 T ), AJ010960 ( Anaerovibrio glycerini DSM 5192 T ), AJ010961 ( Anaerovibrio burkinabensis DSM 6283 T ), AJ010962 ( Clostridium quercicolum DSM 1736 T ), AJ010963 ( Centipeda periodontii DSM 2778 T ) and AJ010964 ( Acetonema longum DSM 6540 T ).