Curvivirga aplysinae gen. nov., sp. nov., a marine bacterium isolated from the sea sponge Aplysina fistularis.

A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, motile bacterium, designated strain RKSG073T, was isolated from the sea sponge Aplysina fistularis, collected off the west coast of San Salvador, The Bahamas. Cells were curved-to-spiral rods with single, bipolar (amphitrichous) flagella, oxidase- and catalase-positive, non-nitrate-reducing and required salt for growth. RKSG073T grew optimally at 30-37 °C, pH 6-7, and with 2-3 % (w/v) NaCl. The predominant fatty acids of RKSG073T were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω6c and/or C18 : 1ω7c) and C16 : 0. Major isoprenoid quinones were identified as Q-10 and Q-9. Phylogenetic analyses of nearly complete 16S rRNA genes and genome sequences positioned strain RKSG073T in a clade with its closest relative Aestuariispira insulae AH-MY2T (92.1 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), which subsequently clustered with Hwanghaeella grinnelliae Gri0909T, Marivibrio halodurans ZC80T and type species of the genera Kiloniella, Thalassospira and Terasakiella. The DNA G+C content calculated from the genome of RKSG073T was 42.2 mol%. On the basis of phylogenetic distinctiveness and polyphasic analysis, here we propose that RKSG073T (culture deposit numbers: ATCC collection = TSD-74T, BCCM collection = LMG 29869T) represents the type strain of a novel genus and species within the family Kiloniellaceae, order Rhodospirillales and class Alphaproteobacteria, for which the name Curvivirga aplysinae gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed.