Pseudovibrio ascidiaceicola sp. nov., isolated from ascidians (sea squirts).

Two bacterial strains, F423T and F10102, were isolated from two ascidians, Polycitor proliferus and Botryllidae sp., respectively, which were collected from a beach on the Boso peninsula in Japan. Cells of both isolates were motile, rod-shaped and formed star-shaped aggregates in the early stage of exponential growth, but were coccoid in stationary growth phase. The results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, fatty acid analysis, DNA-DNA hybridization experiments and physiological and biochemical tests indicated that the two strains were members of a novel species of the genus Pseudovibrio for which the name Pseudovibrio ascidiaceicola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is F423T (=NBRC 100514T=IAM 15084T=DSM 16392T=KCTC 12308T).