Alkanindiges hydrocarboniclasticus sp. nov. Isolated From Crude Oil Contaminated Sands and Emended Description of the Genus Alkanindiges.

The taxonomic position of strain H1 isolated from crude oil contaminated desert sands was determined. Strain H1 was Gram-stain-negative and cocci to short rod-shaped bacterium. It grew at 15-42ºC (optimum, 30-35ºC) and pH 6.5-8.8 (optimum, 7.0-7.5). No added NaCl was required for the growth. The isolate showed 98% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with the Alkanindiges illinoisensis GTI MVAB Hex1, 95.5% with Alkanindiges hongkongensis HKU9 and < 95.2% with other members of the family Moraxellaceae of the phylum Proteobacteria. C, C -2OH, C -3OH, C, C N alcohol and C16:1ω6c/Cω7c were present as major (5%) fatty acids with minor (< 5%) amounts of C, C, Cω5c and Cω9c in strain H1. It contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and unidentified two unidentified lipids. Distinct morphological, physiological, phylogenetic, and genomic differences from the previously described taxa support the classification of strain H1 as a representative of a novel species in the genus Alkanindiges for which the name Alkanindiges hydrocarboniclasticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is H1 (= JCM 31550 = KEMB 2255-480). Emended description of the genus Alkanindiges is also proposed based on additional characteristics.