Aquimarina macrocephali sp. nov., isolated from sediment adjacent to sperm whale carcasses

A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming, strictly aerobic strain with gliding motility, designated JAMB N27(T), was isolated from sediment adjacent to sperm whale carcasses off Kagoshima, Japan, at a depth of 219 m. Strain JAMB N27(T) contained MK-6 as the major isoprenoid quinone and iso-C₁₅:₀, iso-C₁₅:₁, C₁₆:₁ and iso-C₁₇:₁ as the predominant fatty acids. Casein, chitin, gelatin and starch were degraded. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain JAMB N27(T) represented a separate lineage within the genus Aquimarina. The DNA G+C content of strain JAMB N27(T) was 33.1 mol%. DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain JAMB N27(T) and type strains of species of the genus Aquimarina were significantly lower than the cut-off value accepted for the definition of a novel species. Therefore, strain JAMB N27(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Aquimarina macrocephali sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JAMB N27(T) (=JCM 15542(T)=NCIMB 14508(T)).