Chimaereicella alkaliphila gen. nov., sp. nov., a Gram-negative alkaliphilic bacterium isolated from a nonsaline alkaline groundwater

A Gram-negative bacterium designated AC-74T was isolated from a highly alkaline groundwater environment (pH 11.4). This organism formed rod-shaped cells, is strictly aerobic, catalase and oxidase positive, tolerates up to 3.0% NaCl, has an optimum growth temperature of 30 °C, but no growth occurs at 10 or 40 °C, and an optimum pH value of 8.0, but no growth occurs at pH 7.0 or 11.3. The predominant fatty acids are iso-15:0, iso-17:1 ω9c and 16:1 ω7c and or iso-15:2OH. The G+C content of DNA was 43.5 mol%. The phylogenetic analyses of the sequences of the 16 s RNA genes indicated that strain AC-74T belongs to the family “Flexibacteriaceae” and is phylogenetically equidistant (∼94.5%) from the majority of the species of the genus Algoriphagus and from the genus Hongiella. Based on the phylogenetic analyses and distinct phenotypic characteristics, we are of the opinion that strain AC-74T, represents a new species of the novel genus for which we propose the name Chimaereicella alkaliphila gen. nov., sp. nov.