Gordonia lacunae sp. nov., isolated from an estuary

An actinomycete, strain BS2T, was isolated from a sand sample collected from an estuary in Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities and chemotaxonomy, strain BS2T was identified as a member of the genus Gordonia. It exhibited weak antibiosis against Mycobacterium aurum A+ and Mycobacterium smegmatis LR222. Phenotypic and phylogenetic results allowed for the differentiation of strain BS2T from other species within the genus Gordonia. DNA–DNA hybridization further differentiated strain BS2T from its nearest phylogenetic neighbour, Gordonia terrae NRRL B-16283T (57.5±4.4% DNA relatedness). Strain BS2T is therefore a novel species within the genus Gordonia, for which the name Gordonia lacunae is proposed, with the type strain being BS2T (=DSM 45085T=NRRL B-24551T).