sp. nov., a novel aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium isolated from benzene-, and xylene-degrading enrichment cultures, and emended description of the genus .

Two Gram-reaction-negative strains, designated as B13 and MA2-2, were isolated from two different aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading enrichment cultures and characterized using a polyphasic approach to determine their taxonomic position. The two strains had identical 16S rRNA gene sequences and were most closely related to E9 (97.36 %) and SA-279 (96.33 %). Cells were facultatively aerobic rods and motile with a single polar flagellum. The strains were able to degrade ethylbenzene as sole source of carbon and energy. The assembled genome of strain B13 had a total length of 4.91 Mb and the DNA G+C content was 68.8 mol%. The predominant fatty acids (>5 % of the total) of strains B13 and MA2-2 were C 7/C 6, C 7/C 6 and C. The major ubiquinone of strain B13 was Q10, while the major polar lipids were phosphatidyl--methylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and a phospholipid. Based on phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic data, it is concluded that strains B13 and MA2-2 are members of the genus and represent a novel species for which the name sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the species is strain B13 (=LMG 32346=NCAIM B.02665).