A Gram-staining negative, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium, designated YIM C01544(T), was isolated from a soil sample collected from Sigangli Cave, Yunnan province, South-West China. The strain was able to grow over a range of temperatures (4-30 °C), pH (6.0-10.0) and NaCl concentration (0-2 %, w/v). Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain YIM C01544(T) should be a member of the genus Lysobacter. The strain is closely related to Lysobacter niastensis GH41-7(T) (97.6 %), Lysobacter soli DCY21(T) (97.5 %), Lysobacter enzymogenes DSM 2043(T) (97.3 %), Lysobacter antibioticus DSM 2044(T) (97.1 %) and Lysobacter panacisoli CJ29(T) (97.1 %). The genomic DNA relatedness values (<47 %) as indicated by DNA-DNA hybridization studies were below the threshold limit for characterization of new bacterial species. The chemotaxonomic features of the new isolate include diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified phospholipids and two unidentified polar lipids as its characteristic polar lipids and Q-8 as the only quinone. The major fatty acids detected were iso-C15:0 and iso-C17:1 ω9c. The DNA G + C content of the strain was determined to be 64.9 mol %. Based on the data from phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and molecular studies, strain YIM C01544(T) merits recognition as novel species in the genus Lysobacter for which the name Lysobacter cavernae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Lysobacter cavernae is YIM C01544(T) (= KCTC 42875(T) = DSM 101561(T) = CPCC 100816(T)).
Keywords: Lysobacter cavernae sp. nov.; Polyphasic taxonomy; Sigangli Cave.