Description of Mariniphaga anaerophila gen. nov., sp. nov., a facultatively aerobic marine bacterium isolated from tidal flat sediment, reclassification of the Draconibacteriaceae as a later heterotypic synonym of the Prolixibacteraceae and description of the family Marinifilaceae fam. nov.

<jats:p>A mesophilic, chemoheterotrophic bacterium, strain Fu11-5<jats:sup>T</jats:sup>, was isolated from tidal-flat sediment from Tokyo Bay, Chiba, Japan. Cells of strain Fu11-5<jats:sup>T</jats:sup>were facultatively aerobic, Gram-negative, non-sporulating, non-motile and rod-shaped (1.9–6.9 µm long). Strain Fu11-5<jats:sup>T</jats:sup>grew optimally at 35–37 °C and pH 6.5–7.0 and with 1–2 % (w/v) NaCl. Oxygen and<jats:sc>l</jats:sc>-cysteine were used as an alternative electron acceptor and donor, respectively. Strain Fu11-5<jats:sup>T</jats:sup>also grew fermentatively on some pentoses, hexoses and disaccharides and soluble starch. Succinic acid was the major end product from<jats:sc>d</jats:sc>-glucose. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain Fu11-5<jats:sup>T</jats:sup>was affiliated with the order<jats:named-content xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="order" xlink:type="simple"><jats:ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.7929" xlink:type="simple"><jats:italic>Bacteroidales</jats:italic></jats:ext-link></jats:named-content>, and its nearest neighbours were members of the genera<jats:named-content xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="genus" xlink:type="simple"><jats:ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.8308" xlink:type="simple"><jats:italic>Meniscus</jats:italic></jats:ext-link></jats:named-content>,<jats:named-content xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="genus" xlink:type="simple"><jats:ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.10420" xlink:type="simple"><jats:italic>Prolixibacter</jats:italic></jats:ext-link></jats:named-content>,<jats:named-content xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="genus" xlink:type="simple"><jats:ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.22746" xlink:type="simple"><jats:italic>Sunxiuqinia</jats:italic></jats:ext-link></jats:named-content>,<jats:named-content xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="genus" xlink:type="simple"><jats:ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.25239" xlink:type="simple"><jats:italic>Mangrovibacterium</jats:italic></jats:ext-link></jats:named-content>and<jats:named-content xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="genus" xlink:type="simple"><jats:ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.25452" xlink:type="simple"><jats:italic>Draconibacterium</jats:italic>,</jats:ext-link></jats:named-content>with 87–91 % sequence similarity. Cell morphology, optimum growth temperature and utilization of sugars of strain Fu11-5<jats:sup>T</jats:sup>distinguished the strain from phylogenetically related bacteria. On the basis of its phenotypic features and phylogenetic position, a novel genus and species are proposed to accommodate strain Fu11-5<jats:sup>T</jats:sup>, with the name<jats:italic>Mariniphaga anaerophila</jats:italic>gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain of<jats:italic>Mariniphaga anaerophila</jats:italic>is strain Fu11-5<jats:sup>T</jats:sup>( = JCM 18693<jats:sup>T</jats:sup> = NBRC 109408<jats:sup>T</jats:sup> = DSM 26910<jats:sup>T</jats:sup>). We also propose to combine the family<jats:named-content xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="family" xlink:type="simple"><jats:ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.25451" xlink:type="simple"><jats:italic>Draconibacteriaceae</jats:italic></jats:ext-link></jats:named-content>into the family<jats:named-content xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="family" xlink:type="simple"><jats:ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.25238" xlink:type="simple"><jats:italic>Prolixibacteraceae</jats:italic></jats:ext-link></jats:named-content>as a later heterotypic synonym and to place the distinct sublineage of the genus<jats:named-content xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="genus" xlink:type="simple"><jats:ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.14658" xlink:type="simple"><jats:italic>Marinifilum</jats:italic></jats:ext-link></jats:named-content>in the family<jats:italic>Marinifilaceae</jats:italic>fam. nov.</jats:p>