A Gram-negative, motile, non-spore-forming and moderately halophilic ellipsoid-shaped marine coccobacillus, designated strain SS011B1-4T, was isolated from benthic sediment of the South China Sea. Optimum growth occurred at 30-37 6C, pH 7.5-8.0 and 4-8% (w/v) NaCl. Strain SS011B1-4T utilized a variety of organic substrates as sole carbon sources, but did not utilize toluene, n-tetradecane or crude oil. Strain SS011B1-4T had ubiquinone-9 as the major respiratory quinone and C18: 1v9c, C16: 0 and C12: 0.3-OH as the predominant fatty acids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 62.2 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain SS011B1-4T belonged to the genus Marinobacter of the Gammaproteobacteria. The results of the phenotypic, phylogenetic and genomic analyses revealed that strain SS011B1-4T represents a novel species of the genus Marinobacter. The name Marinobacter segnicrescens sp. nov. is therefore proposed, with strain SS011B1-4T (5LMG 23928T5CGMCC 1.6489T) as the type strain.

Two novel strains, SL014B61AT and SL014B11A, were isolated from an oil-polluted saline soil from Gudao in the coastal Shengli Oilfield, eastern China. Cells of strains SL014B61AT and SL014B11A were motile, Gram-negative and rod-shaped. Growth occurred at NaCl concentrations of between 0 and 15% and at temperatures of between 10 and 45 6C. Strain SL014B61AT had Q9 as the major respiratory quinone and C16: 0 (21.2%), C18: 1v9c (20.3%), C16: 1v7c (7.3%) and C16: 1v9c (6.4%) as predominant fatty acids. The G+C content of the DNA was 57.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain SL014B61AT belonged to the genus Marinobacter in the class Gammaproteobacteria. Strain SL014B61AT showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Marinobacter bryozoorum (97.9%) and showed 97.8% sequence similarity to Marinobacter lipolyticus. DNA–DNA relatedness to the reference strains Marinobacter bryozoorum and Marinobacter lipolyticus was 35.5% and 33.8%, respectively. On the basis of these data, it is proposed that strains SL014B61AT and SL014B11A represent a novel species, Marinobacter gudaonensis sp. nov. The type strain is strain SL014B61AT (=DSM 18066T=LMG 23509T=CGMCC 1.6294T).

A moderately halophilic bacterium, designated strain SL014B-85T, was isolated from a crude-oil-contaminated saline soil from Shengli oilfield, Shandong Province, China. Cells were Gram-negative, aerobic, short rods with lateral flagella. Growth occurred at NaCl concentrations of 0-15% (optimum 5-15%), at 10-42℃ (optimum 30℃) and at pH 8.0-9.0 (optimum pH 8.5). The only respiratory quinone was Q9, and the main cellular fatty acids were C18: 1v7c, C16: 0 and C19: 0 cyclo v8c. The G+C content of the DNA was 66.6 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain SL014B-85T belonged to the genus Halomonas in the Gammaproteobacteria, with highest sequence similarity of 98.1 and 97.8% to Halomonas alimentaria DSM 15356T and Halomonas ventosae DSM 15911T, respectively. DNA-DNA relatedness values were below 40% with members of closely related Halomonas species. Results of phenotypic, biochemical and phylogenetic analyses revealed that strain SL014B-85T could be classified as representing a novel species of the genus Halomonas, for which the name Halomonas shengliensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SL014B-85T (=CGMCC 1.6444T=LMG 23897T).

Two moderately halophilic strains, SL014B-69T and SL014B-62A2, were isolated from a saline soil contaminated with crude oil in Gudao in the coastal Shengli oilfield in China; the isolates were Gram-negative, rod-shaped and carried lateral flagella. Growth occurred at NaCl concentrations of 1-20%(w/v), at temperatures of 10-42 6Cand at pH 8.0-9.0. Strain SL014B-69T hadC18: 1v7c (28.61%), C19: 1 cyclo v7c (27.97%), C16: 0 (19.66%) and C12: 0 3-OH (8.87%) as the predominant fatty acids and Q9 as the major ubiquinone, with the G+C content of genomic DNA being 64.0 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the two strains belonged to genus of Halomonas in the Gammaproteobacteria, with the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of 96.4% with Halomonas campisalis ATCC 700597T and 96.0%with Halomonas desiderata FB2T. DNA-DNA relatedness of strain SL014B-69T with strain SL014B-62A2, H. campisalis ATCC 700597T and H. desiderata DSM 9502T was 97.4, 42.9 and 36.8%, respectively. On the basis of these data, a novel species of the genus Halomonas, Halomonas gudaonensis sp. nov., is proposed for strain SL014B-69T and SL014B-62A2. The type strain is SL014B-69T (=LMG 23610T=CGMCC 1.6133T).