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Strain P1297T was isolated in the frame of a project aimed on the psychrotolerant microbiota occurring in water sources. The strain initially identified as tentative Aeromonas sp. was rod-shaped, Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, oxidase positive. Subsequently, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis placed P1297T within the class Betaproteobacteria and showed Aquitalea magnusonii TRO-001DR8T as its closest phylogenetic relative with which it shared 99.28 % sequence similarity. Digital DDH and average nucleotide identity (ANI) were determined to evaluate the genomic relationship among P1297T and Aquitalea magnusonii CCM 7607T. Digital DDH estimation (31.3 ± 2.46 %) as well as ANI (85.6001 %; reciprocal value 85.3277 %) proved the dissimilarity of the P1297T. Further investigation using phenotyping, automated ribotyping, whole-cell protein profiling and PCR fingerprinting methods showed distinct taxonomic position of P1297T among hitherto described Aquitalea spp. DNA-DNA hybridization experiments revealed low binding values between strain P1297T and Aquitalea magnusonii CCM 7607T (57±3 %) and Aquitalea denitrificans CCM 7935T (41±5 %). The mol % G+C content of the DNA of strain P1297T was 60.3 %. The polar lipids detected were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidiylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, two unidentified phospholipids and one unidentified aminophospholipid. Obtained results of genotypic and chemotaxonomic methods clearly proved that strain P1297T represents a novel species of the genus Aquitalea, for which the name Aquitalea pelogenes sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is P1297T (= CCM 7557T = LMG 28989T = CCUG 67440T).

Seven coagulase-negative, oxidase-negative and novobiocin-susceptible staphylococci assigned tentatively as Staphylococcus petrasii were investigated in this study in order to elucidate their taxonomic position. All strains were initially shown to form a genetically homogeneous group separated from remaining species of the genus Staphylococcus by using a repetitive sequence-based PCR fingerprinting with the (GTG)5 primer. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene, hsp60, rpoB, dnaJ, gap and tuf sequences showed that the group is closely related to Staphylococcus petrasii but separated from the three hitherto known subspecies, S. petrasii subsp. petrasii, S. petrasii subsp. croceilyticus and S. petrasii subsp. jettensis. Further investigation using automated ribotyping, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, fatty acid methyl ester analysis, DNA–DNA hybridization and extensive biotyping confirmed that the analysed group represents a novel subspecies within S. petrasii, for which the name Staphylococcus petrasii subsp. pragensis subsp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NRL/St 12/356T ( = CCM 8529T = LMG 28327T).