Zobellia alginoliquefacienssp. nov., a new flavobacteria isolated from the epibiota of the brown algaEricaria zosteroides(C.Agardh) Molinari & Guiry 2020

Abstract Strain LLG6346-3.1 T , isolated from the thallus of the brown alga Ericaria zosteroides collected in Mediterranean Sea near Bastia in Corsica, France, was characterized using a polyphasic method. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-flagellated, motile by gliding, rod-shaped and grew optimally at 30-33 °C, at pH 8-8.5 and with 4-5 % NaCl. Strain LLG6346-3.1 T used the seaweed polysaccharide alginic acid as sole carbon source which was vigorously liquefied. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the bacterium is affiliated to the genus Zobellia (family Flavobacteriaceae , class Flavobacteriia ). Strain LLG6346-3.1 T exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 98.5 and 98.3 % to the type strains of Zobellia russellii and Zobellia roscoffensis respectively, and of 97.4-98.2 % to other species of the genus Zobellia . The DNA G+C content of strain LLG6346-3.1 T was determined to be 38.28 mol%. Digital DNA-DNA hybridization predictions by the ANI and GGDC methods between strain LLG6346-3.1 T and other members of the genus Zobellia showed values of 76-88 %, and below 37 %, respectively. The phenotypic, phylogenetic and genomic analyses show that strain LLG6346-3.1 T is distinct from species of the genus Zobellia with validly published names and that it represents a novel species of the genus Zobellia , for which the name Zobellia alginoliquefaciens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LLG6346-3.1 T (RCC 7657 T = LLG 32918 T ).