Salinarimonas chemoclinalis, an Aerobic Anoxygenic Phototroph Isolated from a Saline, Sulfate-Rich Meromictic Lake

A pink-pigmented, ovoid-rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacterial strain ML10^T was previously isolated in a study of a meromictic lake in British Columbia, Canada. It produces bacteriochlorophyll <i>a</i>, which is incorporated into the reaction center and light harvesting I complexes. This alongside no anaerobic or photoautotrophic growth supports the designation of the strain as an aerobic anoxygenic phototroph. The cells produce wavy polar flagellum and accumulate clear, refractive granules, presumed to be polyhydroxyalkanoate. Sequence of the 16S rRNA gene identified close relatedness to <i>Salinarimonas rosea</i> (97.85%), <i>Salinarimonas ramus</i> (97.92%) and <i>Saliniramus fredricksonii</i> (94.61%). The DNA G + C content was 72.06 mol %. Differences in cellular fatty acids and some physiological tests compared to <i>Salinarimonadaceae</i> members, as well as average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization, define the strain as a new species in <i>Salinarimonas</i>. Therefore, we propose that ML10^T (=NCIMB 15586^T = DSM 118510^T) be classified as the type strain of a new species in the genus with the name <i>Salinarimonas chemoclinalis</i> sp. nov.