Tropicimonas isoalkanivorans gen. nov., sp nov., a branched-alkane-degrading bacterium isolated from Semarang Port in Indonesia

An aerobic, Gram-negative, motile bacterium, strain B51(T), was isolated from seawater obtained from Semarang Port in Indonesia. Cells of strain B51(T) were peritrichously flagellated and rod-shaped. Strain B51(T) was able to degrade alkanes, branched alkanes and alkyl naphthalenes. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain B51(T) was affiliated with the family Rhodobacteraceae, and was related most closely to Thioclava pacifica TL 2(T) (94.6% similarity). The DNA G + C content of strain B51(T) was 66.5 mol%. The major cellular fatty acids were C-18:1 omega 7c (84.9%), C-18:1 omega 9c (13.8%), C-16:0 (8.7%), C-18:0 (6.4%) and anteiso-C-15:0 (5.8%) and the major quinone was ubiquinone-10. Based on its phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics, strain B51(T) is considered to represent a novel species of a new genus, for which the name Tropicimonas isoalcanivorans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the type species is B51(T) (=JCM 14837(T) =DSM 19548(T)).