Alkalibacillus halophilus sp. nov., a new halophilic species isolated from hypersaline soil in Xin-Jiang province, China

A halophilic, Gram-positive, spore-forming motile Bacillus-like strain YIM 012T, was isolated from one of the hypersaline soil samples collected in Xin-jiang province, China. Its optimum growth occurred at 10–20% of NaCl concentration (w/v), pH 7.0–8.0. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain YIM 012T is a member of the genus of Alkalibacillus, which is well supported by its chemotaxonomic and molecular characteristics. Based on its phenotypic evidence and genotypic data, Alkalibacillus halophilus sp. nov. was proposed and strain YIM 012T (=DSM 17369T=KCTC 3990T) was assigned as the type strain of the novel species.