The taxonomic position of strain MSSRFBL1T
, isolated from chickpea rhizosphere soil from
Kannivadi, India, was determined. Strain MSSRFBL1T formed bluish black colonies, stained
Gram-negative and was motile, aerobic, capable of fixing dinitrogen, oxidase-negative and
catalase-positive. Q-10 was the major respiratory quinone. Major fatty acids of strain
MSSRFBL1T were C18 : 1v7c and C19 : 0cyclov8c. Minor amounts of C18 : 0, C12 : 0, C14 : 0 3-OH,
C18 : 0 3-OH, C16 : 0, C16 : 1v6c/C16 : 1v7c, C17 : 0 3-OH and C20 : 1v7c were also present. Polar
lipids included diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine,
phosphatidylcholine and two unidentified glycolipids. Bacteriohopane derivatives (BHD1 and 2),
diplopterol, diploptene, bishomohopanediol, adenosylhopane and 2b-methyl bacteriohopanetetrol
were the major hopanoids of strain MSSRFBL1T
. The genomic DNA G+C content was 71 mol%.
EzTaxon-e-based BLAST analysis of the 16S rRNA gene indicated the highest similarity of strain
MSSRFBL1T to Ensifer adhaerens LMG 20216T (97.3 %) and other members of the genus Ensifer
(,96.9 %) in the family Rhizobiaceae of the class Alphaproteobacteria. However, phylogenetic
analysis based on 16S rRNA, recA, thrC and dnaK gene sequences showed distinct out-grouping
from the recognized genera of the family Rhizobiaceae. Based on phenotypic, genotypic and
chemotaxonomic characters, strain MSSRFBL1T represents a novel species in a new genus in the
family Rhizobiaceae for which the name Ciceribacter lividus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type
strain of Ciceribacter lividus is MSSRFBL1T (5DSM 25528T
5KCTC 32403T
).