gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of the family isolated from an Antarctic lichen.

Two Gram-stain-negative, facultative anaerobic, chemoheterotrophic, pink-coloured, rod-shaped and non-motile bacterial strains, PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569, were isolated from an Antarctic lichen. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strains PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569 belong to the family and the most closely related species are (96.1 %), (95.9 %) and (95.7 %). Phylogenomic and genomic relatedness analyses showed that strains PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569 are clearly distinguished from other genera in the family by average nucleotide identity values (<72.8 %) and the genome-to-genome distance values (<22.5 %). Genomic analysis revealed that strains PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569 do not contain genes involved in atmospheric nitrogen fixation and utilization of sole carbon compounds such as methane and methanol. Instead, strains PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569 possess genes to utilize nitrate and nitrite and certain monosaccharides and disaccharides. The major fatty acids (>10 %) are summed feature 8 (C ω7 and/or C ω6; 40.3-40.4 %), C 2OH (22.7-23.7 %) and summed feature 2 (C 3OH and/or C iso I; 12.0 % in PAMC 26568). The major respiratory quinone is Q-10. The genomic DNA G+C content of PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569 is 64.6 %. Their distinct phylogenetic position and some physiological characteristics distinguish strains PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569 from other genera in the family supporting the proposal of gen. nov., with the type species sp. nov. (type strain, PAMC 26569=KCCM 43315=JCM 33604).