Pseudoalteromonas ardens sp. nov., Pseudoalteromonas obscura sp. nov. and Pseudoalteromonas umbrosa sp. nov. isolated from the coral Montipora capitata on a reef in Kāne'ohe Bay, O'ahu, Hawai'i

Abstract

Strains P94^T, B95^T and R96^T were isolated from apparently healthy fragments of the coral Montipora capitata, which were resistant to Vibrio coralliilyticus infection, from the reef surrounding Moku o Lo'e in Kāne'ohe Bay, O'ahu, Hawai'i, USA, and were taxonomically evaluated using a polyphasic approach. Phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses placed strains P94^T, B95^T and R96^T within the Pseudoalteromonas genus and most closely related to Pseudoalteromonas luteoviolacea and Pseudoalteromonas rubra. Following genome sequencing of strains P94^T, B95^T and R96^T, the average nt identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization comparisons with closely related strains resulted in values that fell below species-level cutoffs. Based on a polyphasic characterization and differences in genomic and taxonomic data, strains P94^T, B95^T and R96^T represent novel species, for which the names Pseudoalteromonas ardens sp. nov., Pseudoalteromonas obscura sp. nov. and Pseudoalteromonas umbrosa sp. nov. are proposed. The type strains are R96^T (=DSM 114998^T=LMG 32870^T), P94^T (=DSM 114996^T=LMG 32871^T) and B95^T (=DSM 114997^T=LMG 32872^T), respectively.

Keywords: Pseudoalteromonas; coral; novel species.