Tenuibacillus multivorans gen. nov., sp nov., a moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from saline soil in Xin-Jiang, China

Two Gram-positive, rod-shaped, spore-forming and moderately halophilic bacteria (strains 28-1(T), 28-4), isolated from a soil sample from a neutral salt lake in Xin-Jiang, China, were characterized polyphasically. On the basis of FASTA (ungapped) analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences, strains 28-1(T) and 28-4 were shown to belong to the Bacillaceae and to be closely related to Filobacillus milensis DSM 13259(T) (97(.)0%) and Bacillus haloalkaliphilus DSM 5271(T) (95(.)7%). 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with other recognized species was not more than 94(.)1%. Phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic, physiological and biochemical data supported the differentiation of these novel strains from F milensis and B. haloalkaliphilus. Therefore these two previously unidentified strains are considered to represent a new genus and species, for which the name Tenuibacillus multivorans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 28-1(T) (=AS 1.3442(T)=NBRC 100370(T)).