Maribacter algae sp. nov., Maribacter spongiae sp. nov., Maribacter corallii sp. nov., Maribacter aquimarinus sp. nov. and Maribacter taeanensis sp. nov., isolated from marine habitats in the Republic of Korea

Five novel bacterial strains, designated as 2210JD10-5^T, 2304DJ31-5^T, 2307UL18-2^T, 2307ULW6-5^T and 2308TA10-17^T, were isolated from diverse marine samples in the Republic of Korea, including algae, sponge, coral and seawater. The five novel strains affiliated with the genus <i>Maribacter</i> were taxonomically characterized using a polyphasic approach. The cells were catalase- and oxidase-positive and rod-shaped. The five novel strains were revealed as mesophilic, neutrophilic in pH and slightly halophilic. The major cellular fatty acids and respiratory quinone were identified as iso-C_15:0, iso-C_15:1 G and iso-C_17:0 3-OH and menaquinone-6 (100%), respectively. The five novel strains shared polar lipids, including phosphoethanolamine, aminoglycolipid, glycolipid and unidentified lipid. The DNA G+C content range was 37.5-50.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene and whole-genome sequences consistently formed distinct phylogenetic lineages within the genus <i>Maribacter</i>. The average nucleotide identity (67.7-80.9%) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (17.2-23.9%) values among the five novel strains and <i>Maribacter chungangensis</i> CCUG 61948^T, <i>Maribacter litoralis</i> SDRB-Phe2^T and <i>Maribacter algarum</i> RZ26^T were all below the established species delineation thresholds. Based on polyphasic taxonomic analyses, strains 2210JD10-5^T, 2304DJ31-5^T, 2307UL18-2^T, 2307ULW6-5^T and 2308TA10-17^T represent five novel species of the genus <i>Maribacter</i>, for which the names <i>Maribacter algae</i> sp. nov. (2210JD10-5^T=KCTC 102365^T=MCCC 1K09794^T), <i>Maribacter spongiae</i> sp. nov. (2304DJ31-5^T=KCTC 102366^T=MCCC 1K09795^T), <i>Maribacter corallii</i> sp. nov. (2307UL18-2^T=KCTC 102367^T=MCCC 1K09802^T), <i>Maribacter aquimarinus</i> sp. nov. (2307ULW6-5^T=KCTC 102368^T=MCCC 1K09801^T) and <i>Maribacter taeanensis</i> sp. nov. (2308TA10-17^T=KCTC 102369^T=MCCC 1K09818^T) are proposed.