Novosphingobium album sp. nov., Novosphingobium organovorum sp. nov. and Novosphingobium mangrovi sp. nov. with the organophosphorus pesticides degrading ability isolated from mangrove sediments

Members of the genus Novosphingobium were frequently isolated from polluted environments and possess great bioremediation potential. Here, three species, designated B2637^T, B2580^T and B1949^T, were isolated from mangrove sediments and might represent novel species in the genus Novosphingobium based on a polyphasic taxonomy study. Phylogenomic analysis revealed that strains B2580^T, B1949^T and B2637^T clustered with Novosphingobium naphthalenivorans NBRC 102051^T, 'N. profundi' F72 and N. decolorationis 502str22^T, respectively. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between isolates and their closely related species were less than 94 and 54 %, respectively, all below the threshold of species discrimination. The sizes of the genomes of isolates B2580^T, B2637^T and B1949^T ranged from 4.4 to 4.6 Mb, containing 63.3-66.4 % G+C content. Analysis of their genomic sequences identified genes related to pesticide degradation, heavy-metal resistance, nitrogen fixation, antibiotic resistance and sulphur metabolism, revealing the biotechnology potential of these isolates. Except for B2637^T, B1949^T and B2580^T were able to grow in the presence of quinalphos. Results from these polyphasic taxonomic analyses support the affiliation of these strains to three novel species within the genus Novosphingobium, for which we propose the name Novosphingobium album sp. nov. B2580^T (=KCTC 72967^T=MCCC 1K04555^T), Novosphingobium organovorum sp. nov. B1949^T (=KCTC 92158^T=MCCC 1K03763^T) and Novosphingobium mangrovi sp. nov. B2637^T (KCTC 72969^T=MCCC 1K04460^T).

Bacterial diversity of an acid mine drainage beside the Xichú River (Mexico) accessed by culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches

Xichú River is a Mexican river located in an environmental preservation area called Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve. Around it, there are tons of abandoned mine residues that represent a serious environmental issue. Sediment samples of Xichú River, visibly contaminated by flows of an acid mine drainage, were collected to study their prokaryotic diversity. The study was based on both cultural and non-cultural approaches. The analysis of total 16S rRNA gene by MiSEQ sequencing allowed to identify 182 Operational Taxonomic Units. The community was dominated by Pseudomonadota, Bacteroidota, "Desulfobacterota" and Acidobacteriota (27, 21, 19 and 16%, respectively). Different culture conditions were used focusing on the isolation of anaerobic bacteria, including sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and arsenate-reducing bacteria (ARB). Finally, 16 strains were isolated. Among them, 12 were phylogenetically identified, with two strains being SRB, belonging to the genus Solidesulfovibrio ("Desulfobacterota"), while ten are ARB belonging to the genera Azospira (Pseudomonadota), Peribacillus (Bacillota), Raineyella and Propionicimonas (Actinomycetota). The isolate representative of Raineyella genus probably corresponds to a new species, which, besides arsenate, also reduces nitrate, nitrite, and fumarate.

Sphingomonas aliaeris sp. nov., a new species isolated from pork steak packed under modified atmosphere

Species belonging to the genus Sphingomonas have been isolated from environments such as soil, water and plant tissues. Many strains are known for their capability of degrading aromatic molecules and producing extracellular polymers. A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, motile, red-pigmented, oxidase-negative, catalase-positive, rod-shaped strain, designated DH-S5^T, has been isolated from pork steak packed under CO₂-enriched modified atmosphere. Cell diameters were 1.5×0.9 µm. Growth optima were at 30 °C and at pH 6.0. Phylogenetic analyses based on both complete 16S rRNA gene sequence and whole-genome sequence data revealed that strain DH-S5^T belongs to the genus Sphingomonas, being closely related to Sphingomonas alpina DSM 22537^T (97.4 % gene sequence similarity), followed by Sphingomonas qilianensis X1^T (97.4 %) and Sphingomonas hylomeconis GZJT-2^T (97.3 %). The DNA G+C content was 64.4 mol%. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization value between the isolate strain and S. alpina DSM 22537^T was 21.0 % with an average nucleotide identity value of 77.03 %. Strain DH-S5^T contained Q-10 as the ubiquinone and major fatty acids were C_18 : 1 cis 11 (39.3 %) and C_16 : 1 cis 9 (12.5 %), as well as C_16 : 0 (12.1 %) and C_14 : 0 2-OH (11.4 %). As for polar lipids, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, dimethylphosphatidylethanolamine and sphingoglycolipid could be detected, alongside traces of monomethylphosphatidylethanolamine. Based on its phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic characteristics, strain DH-S5^T (=DSM 110829^T=LMG 31606^T) is classified as a representative of the genus Sphingomonas, for which the name Sphingomonas aliaeris sp. nov. is proposed.

Sinanaerobacter chloroacetimidivorans gen. nov., sp. nov., an obligate anaerobic bacterium isolated from anaerobic sludge

An obligate anaerobic bacterial strain (BAD-6^T) capable of degrading acetochlor and butachlor was isolated from an anaerobic acetochlor-degrading reactor. Cells were Gram-stain positive, straight to gently curved rods with flagella. The major fermentation products in peptone-yeast broth were acetate and butyrate. The optimum temperature and pH for growth was 30 °C and 7.2-7.5, respectively. The major cellular fatty acids (> 10%) were C_14:0 FAME, C_16:0 FAME and cyc-9,10-C_19:0 DMA. Genome sequencing revealed a genome size of 4.80 Mb, a G + C content of 43.6 mol% and 4741 protein-coding genes. The most closely related described species on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequences was Anaerovorax odorimutans NorPut^T in the order Clostridiales of the class Clostridia with sequence similarity of 94.9%. The nucleotide identity (ANI) value and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) between the genomes of strain BAD-6^T and Ana. odorimutans NorPut^T were 70.9% and 15.9%, respectively. Based on the distinct differences in phylogenetic and phenotypic characteristics between strain BAD-6^T and related species, Sinanaerobacter chloroacetimidivorans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate the strain. Strain BAD-6^T is the type strain (= CCTCC AB 2021092^T = KCTC 25290^T).

Comparative genomic analysis of the genus Novosphingobium and the description of two novel species Novosphingobium aerophilum sp. nov. and Novosphingobium jiangmenense sp. nov

Members of the genus Novosphingobium are well known for their metabolically versatile and great application potential in pollution elimination. The three novel bacterial strains, designated 4Y4^T, 4Y9, and 1Y9A^T, were isolated from aquaculture water and characterized by using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The 16S rRNA gene sequences phylogenetic analysis revealed that the three strains belonged to the genus Novosphingobium. The phylogenomic analysis indicated that the three strains formed two independent and robust branches distinct from all reference strains. The analyses of dDDH values and ANIs between the three strains and their relatives further demonstrated that the three strains represented two different novel genospecies. Comparative genomic analysis of the three isolates and 32 type strains of the genus Novosphingobium showed that the most important central metabolic pathways of these strains appeared to be similar, while specific and specialized metabolic pathways were flexible and variable among these strains. Chemotaxonomic characterization exhibited that the predominant cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8, summed feature 3, and C_14:0 2OH; the major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, and sphingoglycolipid; the major respiratory quinone and polyamine were Q-10 and spermidine. The DNA G + C contents were 67.6 and 64.7 %. Based on the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics, strains 4Y4^T and 1Y9A^T are concluded to represent two novel species of the genus Novosphingobium, for which the names Novosphingobium aerophilum sp. nov. (type strain 4Y4^T = GDMCC 1.1828 ^T = KACC 21946 ^T) and Novosphingobium jiangmenense sp. nov. (type strain 1Y9A^T = GDMCC 1.1936 ^T = KACC 22085 ^T) are proposed.

Characterization of a Sequential UV Photolysis-Biodegradation Process for Treatment of Decabrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Sorbent/Water Systems

Decabrominated diphenyl ether (BDE-209) is a primary component of the brominated flame retardants used in a variety of industrial and domestic applications. BDE-209 bioaccumulates in aquatic organisms and has been identified as an emerging contaminant that threatens human and ecosystem health. Sequential photolysis-microbial biodegradation processes were utilized here to treat BDE-209 in clay- or soil-water slurries. The removal efficiency of BDE-209 in the clay-water slurries was high; i.e., 96.5%, while that in the soil-water slurries was minimal. In the clay-water slurries the first order rate constants for the UV photolysis and biodegradation of BDE-209 were 0.017 1/day and 0.026 1/day, respectively. UV wavelength and intensity strongly influenced the BDE-209 photolysis and the subsequent biodegradation of photolytic products. Facultative chemotrophic bacteria, including Acidovorax spp., Pseudomonas spp., Novosphingobium spp. and Sphingomonas spp., were the dominant members of the bacterial community (about 71%) at the beginning of the biodegradation; many of these organisms have previously been shown to biodegrade BDE-209 and other polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners. The Achromobacter sp. that were isolated (NH-2; NH-4; NH-6) were especially effective during the BDE-209 degradation. These results indicated the effectiveness of the sequential UV photolysis and biodegradation for treating certain BDE-209-contaminated solids; e.g., clays; in bioreactors containing such solids as aqueous slurries. Achieving a similar treatment effectiveness for more heterogeneous solids containing natural organic matter, e.g., surface solids, appears to be significantly more difficult. Further investigations are needed in order to understand the great difference between the clay-water or soil-water slurries.

Promising carbon utilization for nitrogen recovery in low strength wastewater treatment: Ammonia nitrogen assimilation, protein production and microbial community structure

Acetic acid and sodium acetate are generally supplied to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in China to improve total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) removal, and the addition of carbon source also facilitates to increase sludge growth rate and further provides material basis for the extraction of proteins and amino acids from activated sludge. To recycle ammonia nitrogen resources, a system that combined adsorption and anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (A/AAO) process for treating low strength wastewater was established. Experimental results showed that by the addition of carbon substrate from a mixture of anaerobically fermented adsorption sludge, the average removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen, TN, and TP were 88%, 96.9%, 93.9%, and 92.1%, respectively, and the ratio of nitrogen assimilation to nitrogen dissimilation significantly increased by a factor of 2.5. Through energy analysis (based on adenosine triphosphate, ATP), sludge flocculation capacity and settling property, it was found that the AAO process sludge presented the logarithmic growth characteristics. The respective sludge protein and amino acids contents increased by over 11.4% and 40.3%, and the synthetic products of glutamic acid, alanine and aspartate increased through the assimilation of ammonia nitrogen, thereby indicating that replenishing the carbon substrate could markedly enhance protein and amino acids contents in AAO process sludge. Moreover, the diversity of the microbial community in adsorption process was relatively rich, the diversity in the adsorption process sludge was the highest, while the diversity of the AAO process sludge evidently decreased. The microbial community in each process was similarly based on 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis, microflora was prominent in the AAO process, with Dechloromonas, Flavobacterium, Zoogloea, Unclassified_Rhodocyclaceae and Thauera as the dominant species. Promising carbon utilization facilitates contaminants removal in low strength wastewater treatment and is conducive to protein production through ammonia nitrogen assimilation.

Novosphingobium arvoryzae sp. nov., isolated from a flooded rice field

A bacterial strain, designated Jyi-02^T, was isolated from a flooded rice field in Taiwan and characterized using the polyphasic taxonomy approach. Cells of strain Jyi-02^T were aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile and formed yellowish orange coloured colonies. Growth occurred at 10-40 °C (optimum, 20 °C) and pH 5.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and in the presence of 0-1.0 % NaCl (optimum, 0 %, w/v). The major fatty acids (>10 %) of strain Jyi-02^T were C18 : 1ω7c, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c) and C14 : 0 2-OH. The polar lipid profile consisted of a mixture of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine, sphingoglycolipid, an uncharacterized phospholipid and an uncharacterized lipid. The major polyamine was spermidine. The major isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. The DNA G+C content was 64.8 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain Jyi-02^T belonged to the genus Novosphingobium and had closest phylogenetic similarity to Novosphingobium soli CC-TPE-1^T (97.8 %). The DNA-DNA relatedness of strain Jyi-02^T with respect to valid published species of the genus Novosphingobium was less than 35 %. Phenotypic characteristics of the novel strain also differed from those of the closest related species of the genus Novosphingobium. On the basis of the genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data, strain Jyi-02^T represents a novel species in the genus Novosphingobium, for which the name Novosphingobium arvoryzae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Jyi-02^T (=BCRC 80537^T=KCTC 32422^T).

Novosphingobium ipomoeae sp. nov., isolated from a water convolvulus field

A bacterial strain designated Tese-5T was isolated from a water convolvulus field in Taiwan and characterized using the polyphasic taxonomic approach. Strain Tese-5T was an aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterium and formed bright yellow coloured colonies. Strain Tese-5T grew at 15-35 °C (optimum, 30 °C), with 0-1.0 % NaCl (optimum, 0-0.5 %) and at pH 5.5-7 (optimum, pH 6). The major fatty acids (>10 %) of strain Tese-5T were C18 : 1ω7c, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c) and C16 : 0. The polar lipid profile comprised phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine and sphingoglycolipid. The major polyamine was spermidine. The major isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. The DNA G+C content was 65.7 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain Tese-5T belonged to the genus Novosphingobium and showed the highest levels of sequence similarity to Novosphingobium chloroacetimidivorans BUT-14T and Novosphingobium mathurense SM117T (96.3 %). Phenotypic characteristics of the novel strain also differed from those of the closest-related species of the genus Novosphingobium. On the basis of the genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data, strain Tese-5T represents a novel species in the genus Novosphingobium, for which the name Novosphingobium ipomoeaesp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Tese-5T (=BCRC 80904T=LMG 28838T=KCTC 42656T).

Novosphingobium clariflavum sp. nov., isolated from a household product plant

A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, bright-yellow-pigmented bacterium, designated 164T, was isolated from a used sponge for equipment cleaning at a household product plant in China. The 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons indicated that strain 164T was most closely related to Novosphingobium panipatense DSM 22890T (98.28 % similarity) and shared sequence similarities of 97.73-98.27 % with other members of the genus Novosphingobium. In DNA-DNA hybridization studies the relatedness between strain 164T and its closest phylogenetic neighbours was <70 %, which indicated that strain 164T represented a novel species of the genus Novosphingobium. The DNA G+C content of strain 164T was 65.9 mol%. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone Q-10 (83.5 %) with minor amounts of Q-9 (16.5 %). The polar lipid profile included diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine, sphingoglycolipid, phosphatidylcholine, unidentified aminolipids and unidentified aminophospholipids. Spermidine was the major polyamine. The major fatty acids were summed feature 8 (consisting of C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c) and C14 : 0 2-OH. The results obtained from phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA hybridization, and chemotaxonomic and phenotypic analysis support the conclusion that strain 164T represents a novel species of the genus Novosphingobium, for which the name Novosphingobium clariflavum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 164T (=CICC 11035sT=DSM 103351T).

Novosphingobium humi sp. nov., isolated from soil of a military shooting range

A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic bacterium, designated R1-4T, was isolated from soil from a military shooting range in the Republic of Korea. Cells were non-motile short rods, oxidase-positive and catalase-negative. Growth of R1-4T was observed at 15-45 °C (optimum, 30 °C) and pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0). R1-4T contained summed feature 8 (comprising C18 : 1ω7c/C18 : 1ω6c), summed feature 3 (comprising C16 : 1ω7c/C16 : 1ω6c), cyclo-C19 : 0ω8c and C16 : 0 as the major fatty acids and ubiquinone-10 as the sole isoprenoid quinone. Phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, sphingoglycolipid, phosphatidylcholine, an unknown glycolipid and four unknown lipids were detected as polar lipids. The major polyamine was spermidine. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 64.4 mol%. The results of phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that R1-4T formed a tight phylogenetic lineage with Novosphingobium sediminicola HU1-AH51T within the genus Novosphingobium. R1-4T was most closely related to N. sediminicola HU1-AH51T with a 98.8 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. The DNA-DNA relatedness between R1-4T and the type strain of N. sediminicola was 37.8±4.2 %. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and molecular properties, it is clear that R1-4T represents a novel species of the genus Novosphingobium, for which the name Novosphingobium humi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is R1-4T (=KACC 19094T=JCM 31879T).

Novosphingobium guangzhouense sp. nov., with the ability to degrade 1-methylphenanthrene

A novel Gram-stain-negative, flagellated, rod-shaped, yellow-pigmented aerobic bacterium, strain SA925T, that is capable of degrading 1-methylphenanthrene was isolated from oil-polluted soil collected from a refinery located in Guangzhou, China. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence demonstrated that strain SA925T belongs to the genus Novosphingobium and is evolutionarily close to the type strains of Novosphingobium gossypii (98.5 % similarity), Novosphingobium panipatense (98.2 %), Novosphingobium mathurense (98.0 %) and Novosphingobium pentaromativorans (96.5 %). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 60.2 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization experiments between strain SA925T and the closest strain, Novosphingobium gossypii JM-1396T, revealed a low level of relatedness (35.5 %). Strain SA925T grew at 10-35 °C, at pH 6.0-8.0 and in the presence of 0-4 % (w/v) NaCl. The major fatty acids were C18 : 1ω7c, C16 : 0 and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c). The polar lipid profiles mainly consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine, phosphatidylethanolamine and sphingoglycolipid (the characteristic polar lipid). The predominant ubiquinone was Q-10. The major polyamine was spermidine. Based on the phylogenetic, phenotypic and physiological characteristics, strain SA925T was considered to represent a novel species of the genus Novosphingobium, for which the name Novosphingobium guangzhouense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SA925T (=DSM 32207T=GDMCC 1.1110T).

Novosphingobium profundi sp. nov. isolated from a deep-sea seamount

A marine bacterial strain, F72^T, was isolated from a solitary scleractinian coral, collected in Yap seamounts in the Pacific Ocean. Strain F72^T is a Gram-negative, light-yellow-pigmented, motile, rod-shaped bacterium. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain F72^T is related to the genus Novosphingobium and has high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with the type strains of Novosphingobium pentaromativorans US6-1^T (97.7 %), Novosphingobium panipatense SM16^T (97.6 %), Novosphingobium mathurense SM117^T (97.2 %) and Novosphingobium barchaimii LL02^T (97.1 %). Ubiquinone Q-10 was detected as the dominant quinone. The predominant cellular fatty acids were C_18:1ω7c and C_17:1ω6c. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain F72^T was 63.4 mol %. The polar lipids profile contained phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, sphingoglycolipid and one uncharacterized lipid. Strain F72^T shared DNA relatedness of 25 % with N. pentaromativorans JCM 12182^T, 31 % with N. panipatense DSM 22890^T, 21 % with N. mathurense DSM 23374^T and 26 % with N. barchaimii DSM 25411^T. Combined data from phenotypic, phylogenetic and DNA-DNA relatedness studies demonstrated that the strain F72^T is a representative of a novel species of the genus Novosphingobium, for which we propose the name Novosphingobium profundi sp. nov. (type strain F72^T = KACC 18566^T = CGMCC 1.15390^T).

Novosphingobium gossypii sp. nov., isolated from Gossypium hirsutum

A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacterium (strain JM-1396T) producing a yellow pigment, was isolated from the healthy internal stem tissue of post-harvest cotton (Gossypium hirsutum, cultivar ‘DES-119’) grown at the Plant Breeding Unit at the E. V. Smith Research Center in Tallassee (Macon county), AL, USA. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of strain JM-1396T showed high sequence similarity values to the type strains of Novosphingobium mathurense, Novosphingobium panipatense (both 98.6 %) and Novosphingobium barchaimii (98.5 %); sequence similarities to all other type strains of species of the genus Novosphingobium were below 98.3 %. DNA–DNA pairing experiments of the DNA of strain JM-1396T and N. mathurense SM117T, N. panipatense SM16T and N. barchaimii DSM 25411T showed low relatedness values of 8 % (reciprocal 7 %), 24 % (reciprocal 26 %) and 19 % (reciprocal 25 %), respectively. Ubiquinone Q-10 was detected as the dominant quinone; the fatty acids C18 : 1ω7c (71.0 %) and the typical 2-hydroxy fatty acid, C14 : 0 2-OH (11.7 %), were detected as typical components. The polar lipid profile contained the diagnostic lipids diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingoglycolipid and phosphatidylcholine. The polyamine pattern contained the major compound spermidine and only minor amounts of other polyamines. All these data revealed that strain JM-1396T represents a novel species of the genus Novosphingobium. For this reason we propose the name Novosphingobium gossypii sp. nov. with the type strain JM-1396T ( = LMG 28605T = CCM 8569T = CIP 110884T).

Proposal of Novosphingobium rhizosphaerae sp. nov., isolated from the rhizosphere

A yellow, Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacterium (strain JM-1T) was isolated from the rhizosphere of a field-grown Zea mays plant in Auburn, AL, USA. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of strain JM-1T showed high sequence similarity to the type strains of Novosphingobium capsulatum (98.9 %), Novosphingobium aromaticivorans (97.4 %), Novosphingobium subterraneum (97.3 %) and Novosphingobium taihuense (97.1 %); sequence similarities to all other type strains of species of the genus Novosphingobium were below 97.0 %. DNA–DNA hybridizations of strain JM-1T and N. capsulatum DSM 30196T, N. aromaticivorans SMCC F199T and N. subterraneum SMCC B0478T showed low similarity values of 33 % (reciprocal: 21 %), 14 % (reciprocal 16 %) and 36 % (reciprocal 38 %), respectively. Ubiquinone Q-10 was detected as the major respiratory quinone. The predominant fatty acid was C18 : 1ω7c (71.0 %) and the typical 2-hydroxy fatty acid C14 : 0 2-OH (11.7 %) was detected. The polar lipid profile contained the diagnostic lipids diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingoglycolipid and phosphatidylcholine. Characterization by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, physiological parameters, pigment analysis, and ubiquinone, polar lipid and fatty acid composition revealed that strain JM-1T represents a novel species of the genus Novosphingobium . For this species we propose the name Novosphingobium rhizosphaerae sp. nov. with the type strain JM-1T ( = LMG 28479T = CCM 8547T).