Salinirussus salinus gen. nov., sp nov., isolated from a marine solar saltern

A halophilic archaeal strain, YGH44(T), was isolated from the Yinggehai marine solar saltern in Hainan Province of China. Cells were rod-shaped, stained Gram-negative and formed red-pigmented colonies on agar plates. Optimal growth was obtained with 3.4 M NaCl (range: 2.6-4.8 M), 0.5 M MgCl2 (range: 0.005-1.0 M), at 37 degrees C (range: 25-55 degrees C) and at pH 7.0 (range: pH 5.0-9.0). The cells lysed in distilled water, and the minimal NaCl concentration to prevent cell lysis was 1.7 M. Phylogenetic tree reconstructions based on 16S rRNA genes and rpoB' genes revealed that strain YGH44(T) was distinct from the related genera, Halovenus, Halapricum, Halorientalis, Halorhabdus and Halosimplex of the order Halobacteriales. The major polar lipids of the strain were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester and three unidentified glycolipids. The DNA G+C content of strain YGH44(T) was 69.0 mol%. The phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic properties suggested that strain YGH44(T) (= CGMCC 1.12234(T) = JCM 18646(T)) represents a novel species of a new genus within the order Halobacteriales, for which the name Salinirussus salinus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed.