Sphingomonas hankyongensis sp. nov. isolated from tap water.

A Gram reaction-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile, translucent and rod-shaped bacterium (designated W1-2-4T) isolated from tap water was characterized by a polyphasic approach to clarify its taxonomic position. Strain W1-2-4T was observed to grow optimally at 25–30 °C and at pH 6.5 on nutrient agar. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain W1-2-4T belongs to the genus Sphingomonas and is most closely related to the Sphingomonas fennica K101T (95.3 % similarity). The G+C content of genomic DNA was 67.1 mol%. Chemotaxonomic data [major ubiquinone—Q-10, major polyamine—homospermidine, major fatty acids—summed feature 8 (comprising C18:1 ω7c/ω6c), C16:0 and C14:0 2OH] supported the affiliation of strain W1-2-4T to the genus Sphingomonas. Strain W1-2-4T could be differentiated genotypically and phenotypically from the recognized species of the genus Sphingomonas. The novel isolate therefore represents a novel species, for which the name Sphingomonas hankyongensis sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain W1-2-4T (=KACC 18308T = LMG 28595T).