Three Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped, non-motile and orange-pigmented bacteria, designated as XHP0207T, XHP0211T and WL0013T, were isolated from surface seawater collected from Nantong City, the Yellow Sea of China. Cells were positive for catalase and oxidase. These strains were all optimally grown at 28 ℃, pH 7.0 and 3% (w/v) NaCl and possessed Q-10 as the respiratory quinone. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strains XHP0207T, XHP0211T and WL0013T showed the highest sequence similarity to Qipengyuania profundimaris G39T (99.0%), Q. profundimaris G39T (100%) and Alteriqipengyuania flavescens SCSIO 75105T (100%), respectively. However, a phylogenetic tree based on the 288 orthologous clusters indicated that both XHP0207T and XHP0211T were closely related to Qipengyuania proteolytica 6B39T, and WL0013T was closely related to Alterqipengyuania flavescens SCSIO 75105T. The average nucleotide identity, average amino acid identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values among strains XHP0207T, XHP0211T and WL0013T and closely related type strains were all below the species delineation cutoffs of 95%, 95% and 70%, respectively, though the values exceeded between strain XHP0207T and a non-type strain. The genomic DNA G+C contents of strains XHP0207T, XHP0211T and WL0013T were 63.0%, 63.0% and 65.5%, respectively. Based on the phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic characterizations, strains XHP0207T and XHP0211T represent two novel Qipengyuania species, and we thus propose the names Qipengyuania marincola sp. nov. (type strain, XHP0207T=MCCC 1K07527T=GDMCC 1.3090T=JCM 35571T) and Qipengyuania flavescens sp. nov. (type strain, XHP0211T=MCCC 1K07528T=GDMCC 1.3091T=JCM 35572T). Strain WL0013T represents a novel Pseudoblastomonas species, for which the name Pseudoblastomonas aquimaris sp. nov. (type strain, WL0013T=JCM 34654T=GDMCC1.2439T) is proposed. In addition, Alterqipengyuania flavescens is reclassified as Pseudoblastomonas flavescens comb. nov. (type strain, KCTC 92502T=MCCC 1K07993T=SCSIO 75105T).
Keywords: Alteriqipengyuania; Pseudoblastomonas; Qipengyuania; astaxanthin; photosynthesis gene cluster (PGC).