Zobellia alginiliquefaciens sp. nov., a novel member of the flavobacteria isolated from the epibiota of the brown alga Ericaria zosteroides (C. Agardh) Molinari & Guiry 2020

Strain LLG6346-3.1 , isolated from the thallus of the brown alga collected from the Mediterranean Sea near Bastia in Corsica, France, was characterised using a polyphasic method. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-flagellated, motile by gliding, rod-shaped and grew optimally at 30-33 °C, at pH 8-8.5 and with 4-5 % NaCl. LLG6346-3.1 used the seaweed polysaccharide alginic acid as a sole carbon source which was vigorously liquefied. The results of phylogenetic analyses indicated that the bacterium is affiliated to the genus (family , class ). LLG6346-3.1 exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 98.6 and 98.3 % to the type strains of and , respectively, and of 97.4-98.5 % to members of other species of the genus . The DNA G+C content of LLG6346-3.1 was determined to be 38.3 mol%. Digital DNA-DNA hybridisation predictions by the average nucleotide identity (ANI) and genome to genome distance calculator (GGDC) methods between LLG6346-3.1 and other members of the genus showed values of 76-88 % and below 37 %, respectively. The results of phenotypic, phylogenetic and genomic analyses indicate that LLG6346-3.1 is distinct from species of the genus with validly published names and that it represents a novel species of the genus , for which the name sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LLG6346-3.1 (= RCC7657 = LMG 32918 ).