Hongiella mannitolivorans gen. nov., sp. nov., Hongiella halophila sp. nov. and Hongiella ornithinvorans sp. nov., isolated from tidal flat sediment

Three marine strains of the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides group, designated JC2050^T, JC2051^T and JC2052^T, were obtained from a single sediment sample of getbol, the Korean tidal flat. Comparative 16S rDNA sequence studies revealed that the test strains were not closely related to any validly published genera and that these strains were only distantly related to the genus Cyclobacterium (88.7-91.2%). Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the three getbol isolates formed a distinct monophyletic clade within the family Cytophagaceae. Physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic data also indicated that these three getbol isolates differed significantly from members of other genera and were sufficiently different from each other to be recognized as separate species. On the basis of polyphasic evidence, a new genus, Hongiella gen. nov., is proposed, with three novel species, Hongiella mannitolivorans sp. nov. (type strain JC2050^T = IMSNU 14012^T = DSM 15301^T), Hongiella halophila sp. nov. (type strain JC2051^T = IMSNU 14013^T = DSM 15292^T) and Hongiella omithinivorans sp. nov. (type strain JC2052^T = IMSNU 14014^T = DSM 15282^T). Hongiella mannitolivorans is the type species of the genus.