An-Najah Staff

Six new Vibrio-like isolates originating from different species of bleached and healthy corals around Magnetic Island (Australia) were investigated using a polyphasic approach. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA, recA and rpoA gene sequences split the isolates in two new groups. Strains LMG 22223^T, LMG 22224, LMG 22225, LMG 22226 and LMG 22227 were phylogenetic neighbours of Photobacterium leiognathi LMG 4228^T (95·6 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), whereas strain LMG 22228^T was related to Enterovibrio norvegicus LMG 19839^T (95·5 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). The two new groups can be distinguished from closely related species on the basis of several phenotypic features, including fermentation of d-mannitol, melibiose and sucrose, and utilization of different compounds as carbon sources, arginine dihydrolase activity, nitrate reduction, resistance to the vibriostatic agent O/129 and the presence of fatty acids 15 : 0 iso and 17 : 0 iso. The names Photobacterium rosenbergii sp. nov. (type strain LMG 22223^T=CBMAI 622^T=CC1^T) and Enterovibrio coralii sp. nov. (type strain LMG 22228^T=CBMAI 623^T=CC17^T) are proposed to accommodate these new isolates. The G+C contents of the DNA of the two type strains are respectively 47·6 and 48·2 mol%.