Sphingomonas hankyongensis sp. nov. isolated from tap water

A Gram reaction-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile, translucent and rod-shaped bacterium (designated W1-2-4(T)) isolated from tap water was characterized by a polyphasic approach to clarify its taxonomic position. Strain W1-2-4(T) was observed to grow optimally at 25-30 °C and at pH 6.5 on nutrient agar. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain W1-2-4(T) belongs to the genus Sphingomonas and is most closely related to the Sphingomonas fennica K101(T) (95.3 % similarity). The G+C content of genomic DNA was 67.1 mol%. Chemotaxonomic data [major ubiquinone-Q-10, major polyamine-homospermidine, major fatty acids-summed feature 8 (comprising C18:1 ω7c/ω6c), C16:0 and C14:0 2OH] supported the affiliation of strain W1-2-4(T) to the genus Sphingomonas. Strain W1-2-4(T) could be differentiated genotypically and phenotypically from the recognized species of the genus Sphingomonas. The novel isolate therefore represents a novel species, for which the name Sphingomonas hankyongensis sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain W1-2-4(T) (=KACC 18308(T) = LMG 28595(T)).