9 The Family Desulfovibrionaceae

Desulfovibrionaceae, a family within the order Desulfovibrionales, embraces the genera Desulfovibrio, Desulfobaculum, Desulfocurvus, Bilophila, and Lawsonia. Besides their 16S rRNA gene sequence phylogeny, all members of the family are defined by a wide range of morphological and chemotaxonomic properties for the delineation of genera and species. Strictly anaerobic, having a respiratory type or fermentative type of metabolism. Members are all mesophilic or moderately psychrophilic. Members of the family are found in various habitats, including freshwater, brackish water and marine sediments, biofilms, soil, sewage sludge, and animals. Most described species are chemoorganoheterotroph, and some are chemolithoheterotroph. All members oxidize organic substrates incompletely to acetate. This contribution is a modified and updated version of a previous family description (Kuever et al. 2005a, b).