Erythrobacter pelagi sp. nov., a member of the family Erythrobacteraceae isolated from the Red Sea

A novel Gram-negative, aerobic, catalase- and oxidase-positive, non-sporulating, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain UST081027-248T, was isolated from seawater of the Red Sea. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain UST081027-248T fell within the genus Erythrobacter. Levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between the novel strain and the type strains of Erythrobacter species ranged from 95.3 % (with Erythrobacter gangjinensis) to 98.2 % (with Erythrobacter citreus). However, levels of DNA–DNA relatedness between strain UST081027-248T and the type strains of closely related species were below 70 %. Optimal growth of the isolate occurred in the presence of 2.0 % NaCl, at pH 8.0–9.0 and at 28–36 °C. The isolate did not produce bacteriochlorophyll a. The predominant cellular fatty acids were C17 : 1ω6c, summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω6c and/or C18 : 1ω7c) and C15 : 0 2-OH. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain UST081027-248T was 60.4 mol%. Phenotypic properties and phylogenetic distinctiveness clearly indicated that strain UST081027-248T represents a novel species of the genus Erythrobacter, for which the name Erythrobacter pelagi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is UST081027-248T ( = JCM 17468T = NRRL 59511T).