Marinivivus vitaminiproducens gen. nov., sp. nov., a vitamin B12-producing bacterium isolated from the coral Fungia sp. in South China Sea

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile and short rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain SCSIO 64248^T, was isolated from the stony coral <i>Fungia</i> sp. collected from South China Sea. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that strain SCSIO 64248^T belonged to the family <i>Geminicoccaceae</i> and showed the highest 16S rRNA gene similarities with the types of <i>Marinimicrococcus flavescens</i> (90.5%), <i>Arboricoccus pini</i> (90.2%) and <i>Benzoalithermus flavus</i> (89.8%). The whole genome of strain SCSIO 64248^T was 4.9 Mbp with a 68.8mol% G+C content. It shared average amino acid identity (AAI) values of 52-56.2%, which is below the proposed AAI threshold at the genus level and when compared to the known species of <i>Geminicoccaceae</i>. Colonies of strain SCSIO 64248^T are circular, pink and convex. It was able to grow in the range of 4-37 °C, at pH 6.0-10.0 and in the presence of up to 8.0% (w/v) NaCl concentration. The major cellular fatty acid (>9%) was summed feature 8, C_{19 : 0} cyclo <i>ω</i>8<i>c</i> and C_{16 : 0}, and the sole respiratory quinone was Q-10. The polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and an unidentified phospholipid. Data of polyphasic characteristics revealed that strain SCSIO 64248^T represented a novel species of a new genus within the family <i>Geminicoccaceae</i>, for which the name <i>Marinivivus</i> gen. nov. is proposed with the type strain of the type species <i>Marinivivus vitaminiproducens</i> SCSIO 64248^T (=MCCC 1K08013^T=KCTC 92503^T).