Aurantimonas altamirensis sp nov., a member of the order Rhizobiales isolated from Altamira Cave

A bacterial strain, S21B(T), was isolated from Altamira Cave (Cantabria, Spain). The cells were Gram-negative, short rods growing aerobically. Comparative 16S RNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain S21B(T) represented a separate subline of descent within the family 'Aurantimonadaceae' (showing 96% sequence similarity to Aurantimonas coralicida) in the order Rhizobiales (Alphaproteobacteria). The major fatty acids detected were C-16:0 and C-18:1 omega 7c. The G + C content of the DNA from strain S21B(T) was 71.8 mol%. Oxidase and catalase activities were present. Strain S21B(T) utilized a wide range of substrates for growth. On the basis of the results of this polyphasic study, isolate S21B(T) represents a novel species of the genus Aurantimonas, for which the name Aurantimonas altamirensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is S21B(T) (= CECT 7138(T) = LMG 23375(T)).