A Gram-stain-negative, facultative anaerobic, motile, slightly bent rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain E4404T, was isolated from coastal sediment sampled Weihai, China. According to phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence, strain E4404T shared the highest similarity with the type strain of Vibriovariabilis (97.0 %), followed by the type strains of Vibriomaritimus (96.1 %) and Vibrioeuropaeus (96.0 %). Multilocus sequence analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene and eight housekeeping genes (ftsZ, gapA, gyrB, mreB, pyrH, recA, rpoA and topA) showed that strain E4404T formed a unique clade in the genus Vibrio. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain E4404T and some other species in the genus Vibrio were 71.0-72.7 % and 20.4-22.4 %, respectively. Cells grew at 15-37 °C and pH 6.0-8.5 in the presence of 1.0-6.0 % (w/v) NaCl, with optimal growth at 33 °C and pH 7.0-7.5 in the presence of 3.0-3.5 % (w/v) NaCl. No growth was observed on thiosulfate citrate bile salts sucrose medium. The major fatty acids of strain E4404T were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH), C16 : 0 and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω6c and/or C18 : 1ω7c). The genomic DNA G+C content of strain E4404T was 46.1 mol%. Based on the phylogenetic, genotypic, phenotypic, biochemical and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain E4404T represented a novel species of the genus Vibrio, for which the name Vibrioalbus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is E4404T (=MCCC 1H00197T=KCTC 52890T).
Keywords: Vibrio; multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA); polyphasic taxonomy.