A Gram-stain-negative, facultative anaerobic rods, designated as strain 219JJ12-13T, was isolated from a marine sponge, Poecillastra wondoensis, in Jeju-do, Republic of Korea. The cells displayed catalase and oxidase activity and were non-motile. Strain 219JJ12-13T grew at 10-37°C (optimum, 25-30°C), pH 6.0-8.5 (optimum, pH 7.0-7.5), and in the presence of 0.5-6.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 4.0-5.0%). The polar lipids comprised disphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcoline, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingoglycolipid, two aminophosphoglycolipid, unidentified phospholipid, and two unidentified lipids. The isoprenoid quinone was identified as Q-10, and predominant cellular fatty acids were C17:1 ω6c, summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c/C16:1 ω6c), and summed feature 8 (C16:1 ω7c/C18:1 ω6c). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 63.3%. The 16S rRNA gene and genome sequences-based phylogenetic analyses showed that strain 219JJ12-13T formed a distinct phyletic clade within the genus Aurantiacibacter. Genome relatedness values, including average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization among strain 219JJ12-13T and closely related type strains, were 74.0-80.2% and 18.2-22.8%, respectively, both markedly below the thresholds for species delineation. Based on polyphasic taxonomic approach, strain 219JJ12-13T represents a novel species of the genus Aurantiacibacter, and the name Aurantiacibacter poecillastricola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 219JJ12-13T (= KACC 23236T = LMG 33060T). The reclassification of Erythrobacter alti to the genus Aurantiacibacter as Aurantiacibacter alti comb. nov. is also proposed (= KCCM 90261T = NBRC 111903T).
Keywords: Auranciacibacter poecillastricola; Aurantiacibacter alti; Poecillastra wondoensis; marine sponge; new taxa.