Ascidiaceibacter salegens gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from an ascidian.

An aerobic, Gram-stain negative, rod-shaped, non-motile bacterium, designated as strain HQA918T , was isolated from an ascidian, Botryllus schlosseri, which was collected from the coast of Weihai in the north of the Yellow Sea, in China. The strain grew optimally at 28-30 °C, at pH values 7.0-8.0, and in the presence of 1.0-3.0% (w/v) sodium chloride (NaCl). A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain HQA918T can be affiliated with the family Flavobacteriaceae in the phylum Bacteroidetes, with 92.7% similarity to its close relatives. The major fatty acids identified were iso-C15:0 , iso-C15:0 3-OH, and summed feature 3 (iso-C15:0 2-OH and/or C16:1 ω7c). The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified aminolipid, and five unidentified polar lipids. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 44.1 mol%. On the basis of the phylogenetic, genotypic, phenotypic, and chemotaxonomic data, this organism should be classified as a representative of a novel genus, for which the name Ascidiaceibacter gen. nov. is proposed. The type species is Ascidiaceibacter salegens sp. nov. (type strain HQA918T  = KCTC 52719T  = MCCC 1K03259T ).