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Four Gram-stain-positive and two Gram-stain-negative bacterial strains, designated as W4 T , FW7 T , TW48 T , UW52 T , PT-3 T , and RJY3 T , were isolated from soil samples collected from the Republic of Korea. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strains W4 T and FW7 T belonged to the genus Microbacterium , strains TW48 T and UW52 T were affiliated to the genus Paenibacillus, strain PT-3 T was related to the genus Flavobacterium , and strain RJY3 T was associated with the genus Aquabacterium . The closest phylogenetic taxa to W4 T , FW7 T , TW48 T , UW52 T , PT-3 T , and RJY3 T were Microbacterium bovistercoris NEAU-LLE T (97.7 %), Microbacterium protaetiae DFW100M-13 T (97.9 %), Paenibacillus auburnensis JJ-7 T (99.6 %), Paenibacillus allorhizosphaerae JJ-447 T (95.7 %), Flavobacterium buctense T7 T (97.1 %), and Aquabacterium terrae S2 T (99.5 %), respectively. Average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between the novel strains and related reference type strains were <95.0 % and <70.0 %, respectively. The major cellular fatty acid in strains W4 T , FW7 T TW48 T , and UW52 T was antiso-C 15 : 0 . Similarly, strain PT-3 T revealed iso-C 15 : 0 , iso-C 15 : 1 G, iso-C 17 : 0 3-OH, and iso-C 15 : 0 3-OH as its principal fatty acids. On the other hand, RJY3 T exhibited summed feature 3 (C 16 : 1  ω 7 c and/or C 16 : 1  ω 6 c ), C 16 : 0 , summed feature 8 (C 18 : 1  ω 7 c and/or C 18 : 1  ω 6 c ), and C 12 : 0 as its predominant fatty acids. Overall, the polyphasic taxonomic data indicated that strains W4 T , FW7 T , TW48 T , UW52 T , PT-3 T , and RJY3 T represent novel species within the genera Microbacterium , Paenibacillus , Flavobacterium , and Aquabacterium . Accordingly, we propose the names Microbacterium humicola sp. nov., with the type strain W4 T (=KCTC 49888 T =NBRC 116001 T ), Microbacterium terrisoli sp. nov., with the type strain FW7 T (=KCTC 49859 T =NBRC 116000 T ), Paenibacillus pedocola sp. nov., with the type strain TW48 T (=KCTC 43470 T =NBRC 116017 T ), Paenibacillus silviterrae sp. nov., with the type strain UW52 T (=KCTC 43477 T =NBRC 116018 T ), Flavobacterium terrisoli sp. nov., with the type strain PT-3 T (=KCTC 92106 T =NBRC 116012 T ), and Aquabacterium humicola sp. nov., with the type strain RJY3 T (=KCTC 92105 T =NBRC 115831 T ).

Two strictly aerobic and rod-shaped bacteria, labelled as DB1703 T and DB2414S T , were obtained from an automobile air conditioning system. Strain DB1703 T was Gram-stain-negative, while strain DB2414S T was Gram-stain-positive. Both strains were catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. Strains DB1703 T and DB2414S T were able to grow at 18-42 °C. Strain DB1703 T grew within a NaCl range of 0-3 % and a pH range of 6.0-8.0; while strain DB2414S T grew at 0-1 % and pH 6.5-8.5. The phylogenetic and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strains DB1703 T and DB2414S T belonged to the genera Enterovirga and Knoellia , respectively. Strain DB1703 T showed the closest phylogenetic similarity to Enterovirga rhinocerotis YIM 100770 T (94.8 %), whereas strain DB2414S T was most closely related to Knoellia remsis ATCC BAA-1496 T (97.7 %). The genome sizes of strains DB1703 T and DB2414S T were 4 652 148 and 4 282 418 bp, respectively, with DNA G+C contents of 68.8 and 70.5 mol%, respectively. Chemotaxonomic data showed Q-10 as the sole ubiquinone in DB1703 T and ML-8 (H4) in DB2414S T . The predominant cellular fatty acid in DB1703 T was summed feature 8 (C 18 : 1  ω 7 c and/or C 18 : 1  ω 6 c ), whereas iso-C 16 : 0 , C 17 : 1  ω 8 c , and iso-C 15 : 0 were dominant in DB2414S T . Overall, the polyphasic taxonomic comparisons showed that strains DB1703 T and DB2414S T were distinct from their closest taxa and represent novel species within the genera Enterovirga and Knoellia , respectively. Accordingly, we propose the names Enterovirga aerilata sp. nov., with the type strain DB1703 T (=KCTC 72724 T =NBRC 114759 T ), and Knoellia koreensis sp. nov., with the type strain DB2414S T (=KCTC 49355 T =NBRC 114620 T ).

A milky-white-coloured, aerobic, Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped and motile bacterial strain (GW78 T ) was isolated from forest soil. GW78 T was catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. The strain was able to grow optimally at 37 °C and at pH 7.0 in Reasoner's 2A media. The phylogenetic and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of GW78 T showed its affiliation with the genus Paenibacillus . The 16S rRNA gene sequence of GW78 T revealed 98.3 % similarity to its nearest neighbour Paenibacillus mucilaginosus VKPM B-7519 T . Its chemotaxonomic properties included MK-7 as the sole menaquinone, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine and phosphatidylethanolamine as major polar lipids, and anteiso-C 15 : 0 , C 16 : 1  ω 11 c and anteiso-C 17 : 0 as predominant fatty acids. Digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity results with its closest relatives were <74.0 % and <14.0 %, respectively. Overall, 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons, phylogenetic and genomic evidence, and phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data allow the differentiation of GW78 T from other members of the genus Paenibacillus . Thus, we propose that strain GW78 T represents a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus , with the name Paenibacillus caseinilyticus sp. nov. The type strain is GW78 T (=KCTC 43430 T =NBRC 116023 T ).

A yellow-coloured, Gram-stain-positive, motile, aerobic and rod-shaped bacteria, designated DKR-3 T , was isolated from oil-contaminated experimental soil. Strain DKR-3 T could grow at pH 5.0-10.5 (optimum, pH 7.0-8.5), at 10-40 °C (optimum, 25-32 °C) and tolerated 3.5 % of NaCl. Phylogenetic analyses based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain DKR-3 T formed a lineage within the family Cellulomonadaceae and was clustered with members of the genus Cellulomonas . Strain DKR-3 T had highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to Cellulomonas gelida DSM 20111 T (98.3 %), Cellulomonas persica JCM 18111 T (98.2 %) and Cellulomonas uda DSM 20107 T (97.8 %). The predominant respiratory quinone was tetrahydrogenated menaquinone with nine isoprene units [MK-9(H 4 )]. The principal cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C 15 : 0 , C 16 : 0 and anteiso-C 17 : 0 . The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol. The cell-wall diamino acid was l-ornithine whereas rhamnose and glucose were the cell-wall sugars. The DNA G+C content was 74.2mol %. The genome of strain DKR-3 T was 3.74 Mb and contained three putative biosynthetic gene clusters. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization relatedness values between strain DKR-3 T and its phylogenetically related members were below the species threshold values. Based on a polyphasic study, strain DKR-3 T represents a novel species belonging to the genus Cellulomonas , for which the name Cellulomonas fulva sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DKR-3 T (=KACC 22071 T =NBRC 114730 T ).

Two white colony-forming, Gram-stain-negative, non-sporulating and motile bacteria, designated G-4-1-8 T and RP-4-7 T , were isolated from forest soil and Arctic soil, respectively. Both strains showed antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative pathogens ( Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli ) and could grow at a pH range of pH 4.0-11.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-9.0). Phylogenetic analyses based on their 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strains G-4-1-8 T and RP-4-7 T formed a lineage within the family Burkholderiaceae and were clustered as members of the genus Paraburkholderia . Strain G-4-1-8 T showed the highest 16S rRNA sequence similarity to Paraburkholderia monticola JC2948 T (98.1 %), while strain RP-4-7 T showed the highest similarity to Paraburkholderia metrosideri DNBP6-1 T (98.8 %). The only respiratory quinone in both strains was ubiquinone Q-8. Their principal cellular fatty acids were C 16 : 0 , cyclo-C 17 : 0 , summed feature 3 (iso-C 15 :0 2-OH and/or C 16 :1 ω 7 c ) and summed feature 8 (C 18 : 1  ω 7 c and/or C 18 : 1  ω 6 c ). Their major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified aminophospholipid. The DNA G+C content of strains G-4-1-8 T and RP-4-7 T were 63.7 and 61.3 mol%, respectively, while their genome lengths were 7.44 and 9.67 Mb, respectively. The genomes of both strains showed at least 12 putative biosynthetic gene clusters. The average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization relatedness values between both strains and most closely related Paraburkholderia species were below the species threshold values. Based on a polyphasic study, these isolated strains represent novel species belonging to the genus Paraburkholderia , for which the names Paraburkholderia antibiotica sp. nov. (G-4-1-8 T = KACC 21617 T =NBRC 114603 T ) and Paraburkholderia polaris sp. nov. (RP-4-7 T =KACC 21621 T =NBRC 114605 T ) are proposed.

Two yellow-pigmented, non-motile, Gram-stain-negative, and rod-shaped bacteria, designated TW-4 T and TNP-2 were obtained from oil-contaminated soil. Both strains degrade diesel oil, hydrolyse aesculin, DNA, Tween 40 and Tween 60. A phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain TW-4 T formed a lineage within the family Erythrobacteraceae and clustered as members of the genus Novosphingobium . The closest members of strain TW-4 T were Novosphingobium subterraneum DSM 12447 T (97.9 %, sequence similarity), Novosphingobium lubricantis KSS165-70 T (97.8 %), Novosphingobium taihuense T3-B9 T (97.8 %), Novosphingobium aromaticivorans DSM 12444 T (97.7 %), Novosphingobium flavum UCT-28 T (97.7 %), and Novosphingobium bradum STM-24 T (97.6 %). The sequence similarity for other members was ≤97.6 %. The genome of strain TW-4 T was 4 683 467 bp long with 44 scaffolds and 4280 protein-coding genes. The sole respiratory quinone was Q-10. The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C 18 : 1  ω 7 c and/or C 18 : 1  ω 6 c ), summed feature 3 (C 16 : 1  ω 7 c and/or C 16 : 1  ω 6 c ), C 16 : 0 and C 14 : 0 2-OH. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidyl-n-methylethanolamine (PME) and sphingoglycolipid (SGL). The DNA G+C content of the type strain was 65.0 %. The average nucleotide identity (ANIu) and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) relatedness values between strain TW-4 T and closest members were below the threshold value for species delineation. Based on polyphasic taxonomic analyses, strain TW-4 T represents novel species in the genus Novosphingobium , for which the name Novosphingobium olei sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is TW-4 T (=KACC 21628 T =NBRC 114364 T ) and strain TNP-2 (=KACC 21629=NBRC 114365) represents an additional strain. Based on new data obtained in this study, it is also proposed to reclassify Novosphingobium stygium as a later heterotypic synonym of Novosphingobium aromaticivorans .

An aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, oxidase- and catalase-positive, non-motile, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped and yellow-coloured bacterium designated strain G-6-1-13 T was isolated from Gwanggyo mountain forest soil. Strain G-6-1-13 T could grow at 15-40 °C (optimum, 20-32 °C), pH 4.5-10.5 (optimum, pH 6.0-9.0), at 2 % (w/v) NaCl concentration, and produced flexirubin-type pigments. Phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strain G-6-1-13 T formed a lineage within the genus Chitinophaga that was distinct from other species of the genus. Closest member was Chitinophaga varians 10-7 W-9003 T (98.6 % sequence similarity) followed by C. eiseniae DSM 22224 T (98.4 %), C. qingshengii JN246 T (97.6 %) and C. terrae KP01 T (97.4%). The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C 15 : 0 , C 16 : 1  ω 5 c , and summed feature 3 (iso-C 15 : 0 2-OH and/or C 16 : 1  ω 6 c ). MK-7 was the sole respiratory quinone. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine and an unidentified phospholipid. The DNA G+C content of strain G-6-1-13 T was 48.7 mol%. Average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization were below the species threshold. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic characterization, G-6-1-13 T represents a novel species in the genus Chitinophaga , for which the name Chitinophaga fulva sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is G-6-1-13 T (=KACC 21624 T =NBRC 114361 T ).

A motile, Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped bacterium, designated G-4-1-14 T , was obtained from forest soil sampled at Gwanggyo mountain, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea. Cells were colourless, aerobic, grew optimally at 28-35 °C and hydrolysed DNA and casein. Phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain G-4-1-14 T formed a lineage within the genus Zoogloea . The closest members were Zoogloea resiniphila ATCC 70068 T (98.6 % sequence similarity), Zoogloea caeni EMB43 T (98.2 %), Zoogloea oryzae A-7 T (97.7 %), Zoogloea ramigera IAM 12136 T (96.9 %) and Zoogloea oleivorans Buc T (96.2 %). The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8 and the principal polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidyl- N -methylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol. The predominant cellular fatty acids were summed feature 3 (iso-C 15 :0 2-OH/C 16  : 1 ω 7 c ) and C 16 : 0 . The DNA G+C content was 65.9 mol%. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization relatedness values between strain G-4-1-14 T and other type strains were ≤81.6 and ≤24.9 %, respectively, which are below the species demarcation thresholds. Based on the results of phenotypic, phylogenetic and genomic analyses, strain G-4-1-14 T represents a novel species in the genus Zoogloea , for which the name Zoogloea dura sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is G-4-1-14 T (=KACC 21618 T =NBRC 114358 T ). In addition, we propose emendation of the genus Zoogloea and the species Zoogloea oryzae and Zoogloea ramigera .

A pink-pigmented, non-motile, Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped bacterium, designated RP-2-7 T , was obtained from soil sampled at the Arctic station, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway. Cells were strictly aerobic, psychrotolerant, grew optimally at 15-20 °C and hydrolysed CM-cellulose. Phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain RP-2-7 T formed a lineage within the family Hymenobacteraceae and clustered with members of the genus Hymenobacter . Its closest relative was Hymenobacter marinus KJ035 T (97.6 % sequence similarity). The sequence similarities to other strains were ≤96.9 %. The principal respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine and an unidentified aminophospholipid. The predominant cellular fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C 16 : 1  ω 7 c and/or C 16 : 1  ω 6 c ), anteiso-C 15 : 0 , iso-C 15 : 0 , C 16 : 1  ω 5 c and summed featured 4 (iso-C 17 : 1 I and/or anteiso-C 17 : 1 B). The DNA G+C content was 62.8 mol%. In addition, the average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization relatedness values between strain RP-2-7 T and closely related strains were lower than species demarcation thresholds. Based on the resuls of genomic, chemotaxonomic, phenotypic and phylogenetic analyses, strain RP-2-7 T represents novel species in the genus Hymenobacter , for which the name Hymenobacter polaris sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RP-2-7 T (=KACC 21670 T =NBRC 114391 T ).

This study presents taxonomic description of strains LB-D12 T , AT-3-2 T , AT-3-7, and TSA-D2 T isolated from Arctic soil. All strains were psychrophilic, Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, and rod-shaped. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these strains belonged to the genus Flavobacterium . Strains LB-D12 T , AT-3-2 T and AT-3-7 were closest to Flavobacterium psychrolimnae LMG 22018 T (98.5-98.8% sequence similarity). Strain TSA-D2 T was closest to Flavobacterium degerlachei DSM 15718 T (98.3 % sequence similarity). These strains shared common chemotaxonomic features comprising MK-6 as a sole quinone, phosphatidylethanolamine as the principal polar lipid, and summed feature 3 (iso-C 15 : 0 2-OH and/or C 16 : 1 ω7 c ), iso-C 16 : 0 3-OH, C 15 : 1 ω6 c , iso-C 16 : 0 , and anteiso-C 15 : 0 as the main fatty acids. The ANI and dDDH values between these novel isolates and their closest relatives were below the cut-off values of 95 and 70 %, respectively used for species demarcation. The DNA G+C content of all strains ranged from 34.2 to 34.6 mol%. The obtained polyphasic taxonomic data suggested that the isolated strains represent novel species within the genus Flavobacterium , for which the names Flavobacterium sandaracinum sp. nov. (type strain LB-D12 T =KEMB 9005-737 T =KACC 21180 T =NBRC 113784 T ), Flavobacterium caseinilyticum sp. nov. (type strain AT-3-2 T =KEMB 9005-738 T =KACC 21176 T =NBRC 113785 T ), and Flavobacterium hiemivividum sp. nov. (type strain TSA-D2 T =KEMB 9005-741 T =KACC 21179 T =NBRC 113788 T ) are proposed.

Fifteen isolates of the genus Pedobacter were obtained from Arctic soil samples. All isolates were Gram-stain-negative and rod-shaped. Cells were strictly aerobic, psychrotolerant and grew optimally at 15-20 °C. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that all the isolated strains formed a lineage within the family Sphingobacteriaceae and clustered as members of the genus Pedobacter . The sole respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 3 (iso-C 15 : 0 2-OH/C 16 : 1 ω7 c/ ω6 c ), iso-C 15 : 0 and iso-C 17 : 0 3-OH. The DNA G+C content of the novel strains was 33.9-41.8 mol%. In addition, the average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization relatedness values between the novel type strains and phylogenetically related type strains were below the threshold values used for species delineation. Based on genomic, chemotaxonomic, phenotypic, phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses, the isolated strains represent novel species in the genus Pedobacter , for which the names Pedobacter cryotolerans sp. nov. (type strain AR-2-6 T =KEMB 9005-717 T =KACC 19998 T =NBRC 113826 T ), Pedobacter cryophilus sp. nov. (type strain AR-3-17 T =KEMB 9005-718 T =KACC 19999 T =NBRC 113827 T ), Pedobacter frigiditerrae sp. nov. (type strain RP-1-13 T =KEMB 9005-720 T =KACC 21147 T =NBRC 113829 T ), Pedobacter psychroterrae sp. nov. (type strain RP-1-14 T =KEMB 9005-721 T =KACC 21148 T =NBRC 113830 T ), Pedobacter hiemivivus sp. nov. (type strain RP-3-8 T =KEMB 9005-724 T =KACC 21152 T =NBRC 113833 T ), Pedobacter frigidisoli sp. nov. (type strain RP-3-11 T =KEMB 9005-725 T =KACC 21153 T =NBRC 113927 T ), Pedobacter frigoris sp. nov. (type strain RP-3-15 T =KEMB 9005-726 T =KACC 21154 T =NBRC 113834 T ), Pedobacter psychrodurus sp. nov. (type strain RP-3-21 T =KEMB 9005-728 T =KACC 21156 T =NBRC 113835 T ) and Pedobacter polaris sp. nov. (type strain RP-3-22 T =KEMB 9005-729 T =KACC 21157 T =NBRC 113836 T ) are proposed.

A novel psychrophilic, light-yellow-coloured, aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile bacterium, designated strain AR-3-4 T was isolated from a sample of Arctic soil. Strain AR-3-4 T grew at 0-25 °C, pH 6.0-9.0 and 0-1.0 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain AR-3-4 T belonged to the genus Flavobacterium , with nearest phylogenetic neighbour being Flavobacterium fluvii H7 T (97.5 % sequence similarity). The strain comprised phosphatidylethanolamine as the main polar lipid, MK-6 as predominant respiratory quinone, and summed feature 3 (C 16 : 1 ω7 c and/or C 16 : 1 ω6 c ), anteiso-C 15 : 0 and iso-C 15 : 0 as the major fatty acids. The average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain AR-3-4 T and closest members were below the threshold values of 95 % and 70 %, respectively. The DNA G+C content was 33.0 mol%. Based on the polyphasic taxonomic data, the novel species Flavobacterium cellulosilyticum sp. nov. is proposed with the type strain AR-3-4 T (=KEMB 9005-740 T =KACC 21171 T =NBRC 113787 T ).

Four strains of bacteria designated as AR-3-6 T , AT-3-1, AR-3-8 T and AR-3-15 were isolated from Arctic soil. Cells were aerobic, Gram-staining-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped and yellow-pigmented. Flexirubin-type pigments were present in all strains. All strains tolerated 2 % of NaCl and were psychrotolerant. A phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that these strains formed a lineage within the family Cytophagaceae that were distinct from various members of the genus Dyadobacter . The closest member of strain AR-3-6 T was D. koreensis DSM 19938 T (97.2 % sequence similarity) and AR-3-8 T was D. hamtensis HHS 11 T (97.9 %). The predominant respiratory quinone was menaqinone-7. The major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C 16 : 1 ω7c and/or C 16 : 1 ω6 c ), iso-C 15 : 0 , C 16 : 1 ω5 c and iso-C 17 : 0 3-OH. The DNA G+C content of strains ranges from 40.1 to 42.1 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analysis, both strains AR-3-6 T and AR-3-8 T represent a novel member in the genus Dyadobacter , for which the name Dyadobacter psychrotolerans sp. nov. and Dyadobacter frigoris sp. nov. are proposed, respectively. The type strain of Dyadobacter psychrotolerans is AR-3-6 T (=KEMB 9005-743 T =KACC 21172 T =NBRC 113790 T ) and type strain of Dyadobacter frigoris is AR-3-8 T (=KEMB 9005-744 T = KACC 21173 T =NBRC 113791 T ).

During a study of the Kyonggi University soil bacterial diversity, an aerobic, non-motile, Gram-stain-negative, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped, yellow pigmented bacterium, designated strain RD-2-33 T was isolated. Strain RD-2-33 T grew optimally at 28-35 °C and pH 7.0-7.5; hydrolysed gelatin and DNA; and tolerated 1 % of NaCl. A phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain RD-2-33 T clustered with the genus Flavobacterium . The closest member was Flavobacterium dankookense ARSA-19 T (97.1 % sequence similarity) and Flavobacterium cheonhonense ARSA-15 T (96.7 %). Sole respiratory quinone was MK-6. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine and an unidentified polar lipid. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C 15 : 0 , iso-C 17 : 0 3-OH, and iso-C 15 : 1 G. The DNA G+C content was 38.6 mol%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and in silico DNA-DNA hybridisation relatedness between strain RD-2-33 T and Flavobacterium dankookense DSM 25687 T were 75.2 and 19.3 %, respectively. Based on the polyphasic and phylogenetic data, strain RD-2-33 T represents a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium , for which the name Flavobacterium silvisoli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RD-2-33 T (=KEMB 9005-742 T =KACC 21178 T =NBRC 113789 T ).

A yellow-coloured, Gram-stain-negative, non-sporulating, psychrotolerant and motile bacterium, designated AR-3-1 T , was isolated from the Arctic soil of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada. Strain AR-3-1 T could grow at 4-32 °C and pH 5.0- 11.0. Phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain AR-3-1 T formed a lineage within the family Sphingomonadaceae and clustered as a member of the genus Sphingobium . The closest members within this genus were Sphingobium cupriresistens CU4 T (98.1 % sequence similarity), Sphingobium vermicomposti VC-230 T (97.6 %) and Sphingobium lactosutens DS20 T (97.5 %). The only respiratory quinone was the ubiquinone Q-10. Spermidine was the predominant polyamine. The principal cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C 18 : 1  ω 7 c and/or C 18 : 1  ω 6 c ), summed feature 3 (iso-C 15  : 0 2-OH and/or C 16  : 1 ω 7 c ), C 16 : 0 and C 14 : 0 2-OH. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, sphingoglycolipid and phosphoglycolipid. The DNA G+C content was 63.1 %. The average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization relatedness values between strain AR-3-1 T and its most closely related genus members were ≤89.6 and 39.6 %, respectively. The genome was 5 162 327 bp long, with 83 scaffolds and 4824 protein-coding genes. The genome showed six putative biosynthetic gene clusters responsible for various secondary metabolites. Based on this polyphasic study, strain AR-3-1 T represents a novel species within the genus Sphingobium , for which the name Sphingobium psychrophilum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is AR-3-1 T (=KACC 21613 T =NBRC 114604 T ).

A bacterial isolate, designated G-5-5 T , was isolated from forest soil at Kyonggi University. Strain G-5-5 T was acid-tolerant and alkali-tolerant. Cells were strictly aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, catalase- and oxidase-positive, non-motile, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped, and yellow-coloured. Strain G-5-5 T hydrolysed DNA and tyrosine; assimilated d-glucose, maltose, N-acetyl-glucosamine and l-fucose; and tolerated only 0.5 % NaCl (w/v). Phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain G-5-5 T formed a lineage within the family Rhodanobacteraceae and that it grouped with but was distinct from various members of the genus Rhodanobacter. The closest member was Rhodanobacter umsongensis GR24-2 T (97.8 % sequence similarity). The sole respiratory quinone was Q-8. The major polar lipids of strain G-5-5 T were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidyl-N-methylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 9 (iso-C17 : 1ω9c and/or C16 : 0 10-methyl), iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 0. The DNA G+C content of strain G-5-5 T was 64.1 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization relatedness between strain G-5-5 T and other close members of the genus Rhodanobacter ranged from 19 % to 45 %. On the basis of the polyphasic characterization and phylogenetic analyses, strain G-5-5 T represents a novel species of the genus Rhodanobacter, for which the name Rhodanobacter hydrolyticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is G-5-5 T (=KEMB 9005-533 T =KACC 19113 T =NBRC 112685 T ).

A novel bacterium, designated strain E9 T , was isolated from pine forest soil of Kyonggi University (Suwon, Republic of Korea). Cells were facultatively anaerobic, Gram-staining-negative, catalase-negative, oxidase-positive, non-motile, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped and straw coloured. Prosthecae were absent. Glucose was fermented. The strain grew in the pH range of 5.0-10.0 (optimum, 6.5-8.5) and at 45 °C (optimum, 28-32 °C). E9 T was sensitive to NaCl at low concentration and tolerated only 0.2 % NaCl (w/v). A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that E9 T formed a lineage within the phylum Proteobacteria that was distinct from various members of the order Rhizobiales, including Ancalomicrobium adetum DSM 4722 T (94.76 % sequence similarity), 'Nitratireductor lucknowense' IITR-21 (92.72 %), Prosthecomicrobium hirschii 16 T (92.66 %) and Kaistia soli DSM 19436 T (92.53 %). The predominant isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidyl-N-methylethanolamine. Major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), and C16 : 0. The DNA G+C content of the type strain was 68.4 mol%. Polyphasic characterization indicated that strain E9 T represented a novel species in a novel genus within a novel family, for which the name Pinisolibacter ravus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Pinisolibacter ravus is E9 T (=KEMB 9005-534 T =KACC 19120 T =NBRC 112686 T ). A formal allocation of the genus Ancalomicrobium to the family Ancalomicrobiaceae fam. nov. is also proposed.

A Gram-stain-positive, non-motile, creamy-white and rod-coccus shaped actinobacterium, designated strain Ktm-20 T , capable of degrading petroleum oil was isolated from oil-contaminated soil. Strain Ktm-20 T was able to grow at 15-37 °C, at pH 5.5-10.0 and at 0.0-2.0 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. This strain was taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain Ktm-20 T belonged to the genus Rhodococcus and is closely related to Rhodococcus triatomae DSM 44892 T , Rhodococcus pedocola UC12 T , Rhodococcus wratislaviensis NBRC 100605 T , Rhodococcus agglutinans CFH S0262 T and Rhodococcus canchipurensis MBRL 353T (98.8, 98.7, 98.5, 98.4 and 98.3 % gene sequence similarity, respectively). The only respiratory quinone was MK-8(H2); the major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol mannoside; and the predominant fatty acids were C16 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c) and C18 : 1ω9c. The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid; and galactose, glucose, arabinose and ribose were detected as diagnostic sugars from whole-cell hydrolysates. Mycolic acids were detected. The DNA G+C content was 70.9 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain Ktm-20 T and closely related species of the genus Rhodococcus were between 38.3-25.3 %, which falls below the threshold value of 70 % for the strain to be considered as novel. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain Ktm-20 T represents a novel species of the genus Rhodococcus, for which the name Rhodococcus olei sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Ktm-20 T (=KEMB 9005-695 T =KACC 19390 T =JCM 32206 T ).

The prokaryotic genus name Nemorella Chaudhary et al. 2018 is illegitimate because it is a later homonym of the plant genus name Nemorella Ehrhart 1789 [Principle 2 of the Prokaryotic Code (2008 Revision)]. This name is therefore not a correct name (Principle 6). Based on Rule 54 we propose the replacement name Nemorincola with Nemorincola caseinilytica as the type species.

A yellow-coloured, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, aerobic and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain Ktm-2 T , was isolated from oil-contaminated soil. Strain Ktm-2 T was able to grow at 15 to 40 °C, pH 4.5-10.0 and 0-2 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. This strain was taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain Ktm-2 T represented a member of the genus Chitinophaga and shared highest sequence similarity with Chitinophaga barathri YLT18 T (98.1 %), Chitinophaga cymbidii R156-2 T (96.4 %) and Chitinophaga niabensis JS13-10 T (96.3 %). The only respiratory quinone was menaqunone-7, the major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine and the predominant fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, C16 : 1ω5c and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH. The DNA G+C content was 52.1 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain Ktm-2 T and C. barathri YLT18 T was 22.0 %, which falls below the threshold value of 70 % for the strain to be considered a novel species. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain Ktm-2 T represents a novel species of the genus Chitinophaga, for which the name Chitinophagahumicola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Ktm-2 T (=KEMB 9005-693 T =KACC 19388 T =JCM 32158 T ).

Two novel strains, J116-2 T and J116-1, were isolated from forest soil and were taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. Both strains were yellow-coloured, Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile and rod-shaped bacteria. The strains were non-sporulating, catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. Strains J116-2 T and J116-1 were able to grow at 20-32 °C, pH 6.0-8.5, and 0-0.5 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses, strains J116-2 T and J116-1 formed a distinct lineage within the family Chitinophagaceae of the phylum Bacteroidetes and were closely related to genera Taibaiella (89.86-89.30 % sequence similarity), Falvihumibacter (89.20-89.06 %), Filimonas (89.06 %) and Chitinophaga(89.01-88.77 %). The pairwise sequence similarity between strains J116-2 T and J116-1 was found to be 99.86 %. Flexirubin-type pigments were absent in both strains. The only respiratory quinone was menaquinone-7 (MK-7); the major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine; the predominant polyamine was homospermidine; and the major fatty acids were C15 : 0iso, C15 : 1iso G and C17 : 0iso 3-OH. The genomic DNA G+C content values of strains J116-2 T and J116-1 were 51.1 and 50.9 mol%, respectively. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic analysis, strain J116-2 T represents a novel species of a new genus in the family Chitinophagaceae, for which the name Nemorella caseinilytica gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Nemorella caseinilytica is J116-2 T (=KEMB 9005-550 T =KACC 19168 T =NBRC 112827 T ).

A Gram-stain-positive, non-motile, yellow and rod-shaped actinobacterium, designated strain Brt-A T , isolated from oil-contaminated soil, grew at 15-40 °C, at pH 5.5-10.0 and at 0-2 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. This strain was characterized by a polyphasic approach. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain Brt-A T belonged to the genus Tessaracoccus and is closely related to Tessaracoccus rhinocerotis YIM 101269 T , Tessaracoccus flavescens SST-39 T , Tessaracoccus defluvii LNB-140 T and Tessaracoccus flavus RP1 T (99.03, 97.00, 96.88, and 96.46 % gene sequence similarity, respectively). The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-9(H4); the major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol; the predominant polyamines were spermine and spermidine; and the major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C15 : 0. The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained ll-diaminopimelic acid; and glucose and ribose were detected as diagnostic sugars from whole-cell hydrolysates. The DNA G+C content was 68.1 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain Brt-A T and its closely related species of the genus Tessaracoccus were between 55.0-44.0 %, which fall below the threshold value of 70 % for the strain to be considered as novel. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain Brt-A T represents a novel species of the genus Tessaracoccus, for which the name Tessaracoccus terricola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Brt-A T (=KEMB 9005-690 T =KACC 19391 T =JCM 32157 T ).

A cream-coloured, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain Brt-F T , was isolated from oil-contaminated soil. Strain Brt-F T was able to grow from 15 to 45 °C, pH 6.5-10.5 and 0-4.5 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. This strain was taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain Brt-F T represented a member of the genus Sphingobacterium and shared highest sequence similarity with Sphingobacterium chuzhouense DH-5 T (99.4 %); Sphingobacterium gobiense H7 T (95.7 %) and Sphingobacterium arenae H-12 T (94.3 %). The only respiratory quinone was menaquinone-7, the major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine and the predominant fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), iso-C15 : 0, and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH. The DNA G+C content was 43.4 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness value between strain Brt-F T and S. chuzhouense KCTC 42746 T was 35.7 %, which falls below the threshold value of 70 % for the strain to be considered as novel. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain Brt-F T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingobacterium, for which the name Sphingobacteriumterrae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Brt-F T (=KEMB 9005-691 T =KACC 19392 T =JCM 32159 T ).

During a study of oil-degrading bacteria, three yellow-coloured, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and rod-shaped bacteria, designated strains Ktm-14 T , Ktm-17 and Ktm-18, were isolated from oil-contaminated soil of Biratnagar, Morang, Nepal. The strains were able to grow at 15-37 °C, pH 4.5-10.0 and 0-2 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. Strains Ktm-14 T , Ktm-17 and Ktm-18 were characterized by multiple taxonomic approaches. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strains Ktm-14 T , Ktm-17 and Ktm-18 belonged to the genus Sphingopyxis and shared highest sequence similarity with Sphingopyxis ginsengisoliGsoil 250 T (98.94 %). The only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10 and the predominant polyamine was spermidine. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine and sphingoglycolipids. The predominant fatty acids were C17 : 1ω6c, summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c) and C16 : 0. The DNA G+C content values of strains Ktm-14 T , Ktm-17 and Ktm-18 were 65.8, 65.9 and 65.6 mol%, respectively. The DNA-DNA relatedness between Ktm-14 T and Ktm-17 and Ktm-18 were higher than 70 % but with closely related reference strains were less than 40 %. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished strain Ktm-14 T from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain Ktm-14 T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingopyxis, for which the name Sphingopyxisnepalensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Ktm-14 T (=KEMB 9005-694 T =KACC 19389 T =JCM 32250 T ), and strains Ktm-17 and Ktm-18 represent two additional strains.

During a study of petroleum hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, a yellow-coloured, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain Brt-M T , was isolated from oil-contaminated soil of Biratnagar, Morang, Nepal. Strain Brt-M T was able to grow at 15-45 °C, pH 5.0-9.0 and 0-1 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. The strain was characterized by multiple taxonomic approaches. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain Brt-M T belonged to the genus Flavobacterium and shared highest sequence similarity with Flavobacterium cloacae wh15 T (95.69 %) and Flavobacterium anatoliense MK3 T (94.91 %). The only respiratory quinone was MK-6; the major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine; and the predominant fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 9 (iso-C17 : 1ω9c and/or C16 : 010-methyl), iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c). The DNA G+C content was 37.2 mol%. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain Brt-M T represents a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacteriumnaphthae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Brt-M T (=KEMB 9005-692 T =KACC 19393 T =JCM 32171 T ).

We conducted a taxonomic study of two algicidal bacteria, designated strains Yeonmyeong 1-13 T and Yeonmyeong 1-11, isolated from seawater off Geoje Island in the South Sea, Republic of Korea. The two novel strains were yellow-pigmented, halotolerant, Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacteria. Both strains were able to grow at 5-39 °C, pH 5.0-10.0 and 0-11 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strains Yeonmyeong 1-13 T and Yeonmyeong 1-11 belonged to the genus Stakelama and are closely related to Stakelama pacifica JLT832 T (98.37% and 98.22 % sequence similarity, respectively). The pairwise sequence similarity between strains Yeonmyeong 1-13 T and Yeonmyeong 1-11 was observed to be 99.50 %. In both strains, the only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10; the major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and sphingoglycolipid; the major fatty acids were C18 : 1ω7c, C16 : 0 and C14 : 0 2-OH. DNA G+C content values of strains Yeonmyeong 1-13 T and Yeonmyeong 1-11 were 65.1% and 64.9 mol%, respectively. The DNA-DNA relatedness between Yeonmyeong 1-13 T and S. pacifica DSM 25059 T was 28.7 %, which falls below the threshold value of 70 % for the strain to be considered as novel. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished strain Yeonmyeong 1-13 T from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strains Yeonmyeong 1-13 T and Yeonmyeong 1-11 represent a novel species of the genus Stakelama, for which the name Stakelama algicida sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Yeonmyeong 1-13 T (=KEMB 9005-324 T =JCM 31498 T ).

Two strains of bacteria, designated J107-1 T and J107-2, were isolated from farmland soil. Cells were aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, catalase- and oxidase-positive, non-motile, non-spore-forming, coccoid rod-shaped and yellow-pigmented. Flexirubin-type pigments were absent. Both strains hydrolysed casein and tyrosine. Strains could grow at pH 9.0 and at 42 °C. A phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strains J107-1 T and J107-2 formed a lineage within the phylum Bacteroidetes that was distinct from various members of the family Chitinophagaceae, including Ferruginibacter paludis HME8881 T (89.71 % sequence similarity), Ferruginibacter yonginensis HME8442 T , Niastella yeongjuensis GR20-13 T (89.70 %), Chitinophaga niabensis DSM 24787 T (89.57 %), Lacibacter cauensis CGMCC 1.7271 T (89.56 %) and Taibaiella koreensis THG-DT86 T (89.52 %). The 16S rRNA gene similarities of other members of the family Chitinophagaceae are less than 89.51 %. The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-7. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified aminolipid and an unidentified polar lipid. Major cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 1 G, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and iso-C17 : 0. The DNA G+C content of strains ranged from 47.8 to 48.0 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analysis, strains J107-1 T and J107-2 represent a novel genus in the family Chitinophagaceae, for which the name Rurimicrobium arvi gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Rurimicrobium arvi is J107-1 T (=KEMB 9005-549 T =KACC 19167 T =JCM 31921 T ).

Strain K-4-11-1 T , a psychrotolerant, light salmon-coloured, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium, was isolated from forest soil of Kyonggi University, Suwon, South Korea. It was able to grow at 0-32 °C, at pH 5.0-10.0 and with 0-1.5 % (w/v) NaCl. This strain was taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain K-4-11-1 T belongs to the genus Pedobacter and is closely related to Pedobacter ginsenosidimutans THG-45 T (98.75 % sequence similarity), Pedobacter borealis G-1 T (98.48 %), Pedobacter terrae DS-57 T (98.20 %), Pedobacter agri PB92 T (97.92 %) and Pedobacter suwonensis 15-52 T (97.84 %). The only respiratory quinone was menaquinone-7. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine and unidentified glycolipids. The predominant fatty acids of strain K-4-11-1 T were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, anteiso-C17 : 0 and summed feature 9 (iso-C17 : 1ω9c and/or C16 : 0 10-methyl). The genomic DNA G+C content of this novel strain was 38.3 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain K-4-11-1 T and P. ginsenosidimutans KACC 14530 T , P. borealis KACC 14287 T , P. terrae KACC 13766 T , P. agri KACC 13768 T and P. suwonensis KACC 11317 T were 40.0, 36.3, 37.0, 32.3 and 29.7 %, respectively. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this novel strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain K-4-11-1 T represents a novel species of the genus Pedobacter, for which the name Pedobacter kyonggii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is K-4-11-1 T (=KEMB 9005-574 T =KACC 19174 T =JCM 31916 T ).

Two novel strains, J77-1 T and J76-1, were isolated from farmland soil and were taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. Both strains were yellow, Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile and rod-shaped bacteria. These strains were non-sporulating, catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. J77-1 T and J76-1 were able to grow at 15-40 °C, pH 5.0-10.0, and 0-1.0 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that both strains formed a distinct separate lineage within the family Cytophagaceae of the phylum Bacteroidetes. J77-1 T and J76-1 showed low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the most closely related type strain Dyadobacter koreensis WPCB159 T (85.09 %) and exhibited less than 85.0 % sequence similarity with other members of the family Cytophagaceae. The pairwise sequence similarity between strains J77-1 T and J76-1 was observed to be 99.86 %. In both strains, the only respiratory quinone was menaquinone-7 (MK-7); the major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine; and the major fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C16 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH C16 : 1ω5c, and C16 : 0 3-OH. The genomic DNA G+C content values of J77-1 T and J76-1 were 50.1 and 50.9 mol%, respectively. On the basis of the results of phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic analysis, J77-1 T represents a novel species of a novel genus, for which the name Ravibacter arvi gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed, within the family Cytophagaceae. The type strain of Ravibacter arvi is J77-1 T (=KEMB 9005-548 T =KACC 19172 T =JCM 31920 T ), and J76-1 is an additional strain.

Strain D-14 T , a brown-coloured, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium, was isolated from oil-contaminated soil. It was able to grow at 20-40 °C, at pH 6.0-10.0 and at 0-1 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain D-14 T belonged to the genus Lysobacter and was closely related to Lysobacter caeni BUT-8 T (99.0 % sequence similarity), Lysobacter ruishenii CTN-1 T (98.5 %), Lysobacter daejeonensis GH1-9 T (98.2 %) and Lysobacter panacisoli CJ29 T (97.2 %). The only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8. The polar lipid profile revealed the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidyl-N-methyl-ethanolamine. The predominant fatty acids of strain D-14 T were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0, summed feature 9 (iso-C17 : 1 ω9c and/or C16 : 0 10-methyl), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c), iso-C14 : 0, C11 : 0iso 3-OH, C15 : 1iso F and C16 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content of this novel strain was 68.7 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain D-14 T and L. caeni BUT-8 T , L. ruishenii CTN-1 T , L. daejeonensis GH1-9 T and L. panacisoli CJ29 T were 56.0, 46.3, 48.7 and 41.7 %, respectively, which fall below the threshold value of 70 % for the strain to be considered as novel. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain D-14 T represents a novel species of the genus Lysobacter, for which the name Lysobacterolei sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is D-14 T (=KEMB 9005-572 T =KACC 19173 T =JCM 31917 T ).

During a study of bacterial diversity in forest soil, strain G-3-2 T , a Gram-stain-negative, light brown-coloured, non-motile, rod- or coccoid-shaped bacterium, was isolated. It was able to grow at 15-37 °C, at pH 5.5-10.0 and at 0-0.5 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. The strain was taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain G-3-2 T belongs to the genus Ramlibacter and is closely related to Ramlibacter ginsenosidimutans BXN5-27 T (98.69 % sequence similarity), Ramlibacter henchirensis TMB834 T (96.98 %), Ramlibacter tataouinensis TTB310 T (96.49 %) and Ramlibacter solisilvae 5-10 T (96.42 %). The only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The predominant fatty acids of strain G-3-2 T were C16 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C17 : 0 cyclo, summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c) and C10 : 0 3-OH. The genomic DNA G+C content of this novel strain was 68.9 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain G-3-2 T and R. ginsenosidimutans BXN5-27 T was 44.7 %, which falls below the threshold value of 70 % for the strain to be considered as novel. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain G-3-2 T represents a novel species of the genus Ramlibacter, for which the name Ramlibacter monticola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is G-3-2 T (=KEMB 9005-573 T =KACC 19175 T =JCM 31918 T ).

A novel Marinomonas-like, aerobic, Gram-reaction-negative, moderately halophilic, acidophilic, motile by a single polar flagellum, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium that showed algalytic activity, designated strain Yeongu 1-4 T , was isolated from surface seawater of Geoje Island in the South Sea, Republic of Korea. The strain was oxidase-negative and weakly positive for catalase. Growth of this bacterium was observed at temperatures from 4 to 42 °C, at salinities from 0 to 12 % and at pH from 4.5 to 9.0, and it was not able to degrade starch, gelatin, casein or Tween 80. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain Yeongu 1-4 T was related most closely to Marinomonas spartinae SMJ19 T with similarity of 99.3 %. However, levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain Yeongu 1-4 T and the most closely related species were lower than 70 %, confirming that they represent distinct genomic species. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain Yeongu 1-4 T was 44.2 mol%. The organism used Q-8 as the predominant respiratory quinone, and C16 : 1ω7c, C18 : 1ω7c and C16 : 0 as major cellular fatty acids. Based on data from this polyphasic taxonomic study, strain Yeongu 1-4 T belongs to a novel species of the genus Marinomonas, within the family Oceanospirillaceae, for which the name Marinomonas algicida is proposed. The type strain is Yeongu 1-4 T (=KEMB 9005-327 T =MCCC 1K00609 T ).

A novel strain, DKC-1 T , was isolated from reclaimed grassland soil and was characterized taxonomically by a polyphasic approach. Strain DKC-1 T was a Gram-staining-negative, light-yellow-coloured and rod shaped bacterium, motile with polar flagellum. It was able to grow at 20-37 °C, at pH 4.5-9.0 and with 0-3 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain DKC-1 T formed a clade within the members of the genus Dyella and showed highest sequence similarities to Dyella japonica XD53 T (98.36 %), Rhodanobacter aciditrophus sjH1 T (97.92 %), Rhodanobacter koreensis THG-DD7 T (97.74 %), Dyella kyungheensis THG-B117 T (97.65 %) and Rhodanobacter terrae GP18-1 T (97.40 %). The only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidyl-N-methylethanolamine. The predominant fatty acids of strain DKC-1 T were iso-C16 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 9 (iso-C17 : 1ω9c and/or C16 : 0 10-methyl), iso-C17 : 0, iso-C11 : 0 3-OH and iso-C11 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content of this novel strain was 63.1 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain DKC-1 T and its reference strains (D. japonica XD53 T , R. aciditrophus sjH1 T , R. koreensis THG-DD7 T , D. kyungheensis THG-B117 T and R. terrae GP18-1 T ) was 52.3, 44.7, 38.7, 49.0 and 32.7 %, respectively, which falls below the threshold value of 70 % for the strain to be considered as novel. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain DKC-1 T represents a novel species of the genus Dyella, for which the name Dyella agri sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DKC-1 T (=KEMB 9005-571 T =KACC 19176 T =JCM 31925 T ).

A light yellow-coloured, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain K-3-6T, capable of degrading aliphatic hydrocarbons was isolated from oil-contaminated soil of Biratnagar, Morang, Nepal. It was able to grow at 15-45 °C, at pH 5.0-9.5 and with 0-6 % (w/v) NaCl. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain K-3-6T belongs to the genus Sphingobium and is closely related to Sphingobium olei IMMIB HF-1T (98.4 % similarity), Sphingobium abikonense NBRC 16140T (98.3 %), Sphingobium rhizovicinum CC-FH12-1T (97.9 %), Sphingobium lactosutens DS20T (97.9 %), Sphingobium amiense NBRC 102518T (97.2 %), Sphingobium phenoxybenzoativorans SC&#95;3T (97.2 %) and Sphingobium fontiphilum Chen16-4T (97.0 %). The predominant respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10 and the major polyamine was spermidine. The polar lipid profile revealed the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine, sphingoglycolipid and phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine. The predominant fatty acids of strain K-3-6T were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C14 : 0, C16 : 0 and C14 : 0 2-OH. The genomic DNA G+C content was 65.6 mol%. Levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain K-3-6T and S. olei IMMIB HF-1T, S. abikonense NBRC 16140T, S. lactosutens DS20T, S. rhizovicinum CC-FH12-1T, S. amiense NBRC 102518T and S. fontiphilum Chen16-4T were 34.0, 33.3, 28.7, 26.3, 29.0 and 22.3 %, respectively. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain K-3-6T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingobium, for which the name Sphingobium naphthae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is K-3-6T (=KEMB 9005-449T=KACC 19001T=JCM 31713T).

Two strains of bacteria designated CB-3T and CB-31 were isolated from Kyonggi University forest soil. Cells were aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, oxidase-positive, non-motile, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped and yellow-pigmented. They were able to grow at 15-42 °C, pH 5.5-9.5 and with 0-1.5 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. Flexirubin-type pigments were absent. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strains CB-3T and CB-31 formed a lineage within the family Flavobacteriaceae of the phylum Bacteroidetes that was distinct from various species of the genus Flavobacterium, including Flavobacterium humicola UCM-46T (99.58 % sequence similarity), Flavobacterium suncheonense GH29-5T (98.12 %), Flavobacterium pedocola UCM-R36T (97.57 %), Flavobacterium fulvum UCM-R15T (96.8 %) and Flavobacterium cauense R2A-7T (96.31 %). Both strains contained MK-6 as the sole quinone. The major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, iso-C15 : 0 3-OH, summed feature 9 (iso-C17 : 1ω9c and/or C16 : 0 10-methyl) and iso-C15 : 1 G. The DNA G+C content of the strains was 35.8-36.7 mol%. DNA-DNA relatedness between strain CB-3T and the most closely related members of the genus Flavobacterium ranged from 32 % to 59 %. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished strains CB-3T and CB-31 from their closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strains CB-3T and CB-31 represent a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacterium flaviflagrans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CB-3T (=KEMB 9005-535T=KACC 19112T=NBRC 112704T).

A yellow-coloured, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated K-1-16T, that is capable of degrading aliphatic hydrocarbons was isolated from oil-contaminated soil at Biratnagar, Morang, Nepal. It was able to grow at 15-45 °C, at pH 5.5-9.5 and with 0-5 % (w/v) NaCl. This strain was taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain K-1-16T belongs to the genus Sphingomonas and is closely related to Sphingomonas mucosissima CP173-2T (98.6 % similarity), Sphingomonas dokdonensis DS-4T (97.9 %), Sphingomonas faeni MA-olkiT (97.9 %), Sphingomonas aurantiaca MA101bT (97.8 %) and Sphingomonas xinjiangensis 10-1-84T (96.6 %). The predominant respiratory quinone was ubiquinone Q-10 and the major polyamine was homospermidine. The polar lipid profile revealed the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine and sphingoglycolipid. The predominant fatty acids of strain K-1-16T were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), C16 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C18 : 1ω7c 11-methyl and C14 : 0 2-OH. The genomic DNA G+C content was 64.8 mol%. Levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain K-1-16T and S. mucosissima DSM 17494T, S. dokdonensis KACC 17420T, S. faeni KCCM 41909T and S. aurantiaca KCCM 41908T were 49.7, 41.3, 43.7 and 36.7 %, respectively. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain K-1-16T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingomonas, for which the name Sphingomonas olei sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is K-1-16T (=KEMB 9005-450T=KACC 19002T=JCM 31674T).

A light yellow-coloured, Gram-stain-negative, motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain K-3-1T, was isolated from reclaimed grassland soils of Belbari, Morang, Nepal. It was able to grow at 4-45 °C, at pH 5.0-10.0, and at 0-2 % (w/v) NaCl concentrations. This strain was taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain K-3-1T belongs to the genus Massilia and is closely related to Massilia consociata CCUG 58010T (98.3 % sequence similarity), Massilia tieshanensis TS3T (98.1 % sequence similarity), Massilia kyonggiensis TSA1T (98.1 % sequence similarity), Massilia yuzhufengensisY1243-1T (98.1 % sequence similarity), Massilia haematophila CCUG 38318T (98.0 % sequence similarity), Massilia varians CCUG 35299T (97.9 % sequence similarity), Massilia niastensis 5516 S-1T (97.6 % sequence similarity) and Massilia alkalitolerans YIM 31775T (97.5 % sequence similarity). The predominant respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8. The polar lipid profile revealed the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The predominant fatty acids of strain K-3-1T were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C16 : 0, C12 : 0, C10 : 0 3-OH and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c). The genomic DNA G+C content of this novel strain was 66.8 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain K-3-1T and its closest reference strains were significantly lower than the threshold value of 70 %. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain K-3-1T represents a novel species of the genus Massilia, for which the name Massilia agri sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is K-3-1T (=KEMB 9005-446T=KACC 19000T=JCM 31661T).

During a study of psychrophilic hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, two yellow, Gram-staining-negative, non-motile, and rod shaped bacteria, designated R-10-9T and K-4-2 were isolated from oil-contaminated soil from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Both strains were able to grow at 0-32 °C, pH 5.0-9.5, and 0-1 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. These strains were taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. On the basis of the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, R-10-9T and K-4-2 belong to the genus Flavobacterium and are closely related to Flavobacterium oncorhynchi 631-08T (97.80 and 98.09 % sequence similarity, respectively). The pairwise sequence similarity between R-10-9T and K-4-2 was observed to be 99.72 %. In both strains, the predominant respiratory quinone was menaquinone-6; the major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine; and the major fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), iso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0 3-OH, antesio-C15 : 0, C16 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, and iso-C15 : 0 3-OH. The genomic DNA G+C contents of R-10-9T and K-4-2 were 35.9 and 35.4 mol%, respectively. The DNA-DNA relatedness between R-10-9T and K-4-2 was higher than 70 % but relatedness values with closely related reference strains were less than 35 %. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic, and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished R-10-9T from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, R-10-9T represents a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacterium olei sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is R-10-9T (=KEMB 9005-447T=KACC 18997T=JCM 31673T), and strain K-4-2 as an additional strain.

A yellow-coloured, Gram-staining-negative, motile and rod shaped bacterium, designated strain R366T, was isolated from forest soil of Kyonggi University, South Korea. It was able to grow at 15-42 °C, pH 6.0-10.0 and with 0-4 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain R366T belongs to the genus Sphingopyxis and is closely related to Sphingopyxis italica SC13E-S71T (98.72 % sequence similarity), Sphingopyxis chilensis S37T (98.51 %), Sphingopyxis fribergensis Kp5.2T (98.29 %), Sphingopyxis alaskensis RB2256T (98.15 %), Sphingopyxis ginsengisoli Gsoli 250T (98.15 %) and Sphingopyxis taejonensis JSS54T (98.01 %). The predominant respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10, and the major polyamine was spermidine. The polar lipid profile revealed the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine and sphingoglycolipid. The predominant fatty acids of strain R366T were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C17 : 1ω6c, C16 : 0, C18 : 1ω7c 11-methyl and C14 : 0 2-OH. The genomic DNA G+C content of this novel strain was 65.1 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain R366T and Sphingopyxisitalica DSM 25229T, Sphingopyxischilensis KCCM 41918T, Sphingopyxisalaskensis KCCM 41983T, Sphingopyxisginsengisoli KACC 13918T and Sphingopyxistaejonensis KACC 12341T was 51.7, 45.3, 39.0, 41.3 and 44.7 %, respectively. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain R366T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingopyxis, for which the name Sphingopyxis solisilvae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is R366T (=KEMB 9005-451T=KACC 19003T=JCM 31675T).

A straw-coloured, Gram-staining-negative, aerobic, motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain K-1-15T, was isolated from reclaimed grassland soil from Biratnagar, Morang, Nepal. This strain was non-spore-forming, catalase-negative and oxidase-positive. It was able to grow at 10-45 °C, pH 6.5-9.5 and 0-1.5 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. This strain was taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. Based on the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, K-1-15T formed a distinct lineage within the family Oxalobacteraceae and was most closely related to members of the genera Herbaspirillum(96.99-95.34 % sequence similarity), Noviherbaspirillum(96.72-95.45 % sequence similarity) and Paraherbaspirillum (95.85 % sequence similarity). The only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8. The polar lipid profile revealed the presence of phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. The major fatty acids of K-1-15T were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C16  :   0, summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), C10 : 0 3-OH, and iso-C16 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content of this novel strain was 65.2 mol %. The DNA-DNA relatedness between K-1-15T and Herbaspirillum massiliense DSM 25712T and Noviherbaspirillum soli LMG 26149T were 18.3 and 13.7 % repectively. On the basis of the results of morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses, K-1-15T represents a novel species of the genus Noviherbaspirillum in the family Oxalobacteraceae, for which the name Noviherbaspirillum agri sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is K-1-15T (=KEMB 9005-422T=KACC 18909T=JCM 31463T). Based on new data obtained in this study, we also propose the reclassification of Herbaspirillum massiliense as Noviherbaspirillum massiliense comb. nov. (type strain JC206T=CSUR P159T=DSM 25712T).

A wine-red-coloured, Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile and coccus-shaped bacterium, designated strain G-3-5T, was isolated from oil-contaminated soil of Biratnagar, Morang, Nepal, during a study of oil-utilizing bacteria. This strain was catalase-negative and oxidase-positive. It was able to grow at 10-37 °C, at pH 6.0-10.0 and with 0.02-1.02 % (w/v) NaCl. This strain was taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain G-3-5T belongs to the genus Roseomonas and is closely related to Roseomonas vinacea CPCC 100056T (97.81 % sequence similarity), Roseomonas aerilata 5420S-30T (96.68 %), Roseomonas pecuniae N75T (96.15 %), 'Roseomonas aceris' R-1 (95.75 %) and Roseomonas rosea 173/96T (95.30 %). The only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10. The polar lipid profile revealed the presence of phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. The major fatty acids of strain G-3-5T were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C16 : 0, C18 : 0 and C18 : 1 2-OH. The genomic DNA G+C content of this novel strain was 68.3 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain G-3-5T and Roseomonas. vinacea KACC 13934T was 26.3 %. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain G-3-5T represents a novel species of the genus Roseomonas, for which the name Roseomonas nepalensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is G-3-5T (=KEMB 9005-416T=KACC 18908T=JCM 31470T).

During the study of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in the oil-contaminated soil of Biratnagar, Morang, Nepal, a yellow-coloured, Gram-staining-negative, aerobic, non-motile, and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain C-5-3T, was isolated. This strain was characterized taxonomically by a polyphasic approach. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain C-5-3T belonged to the genus Chryseobacterium and was closely related to Chryseobacterium profundimaris DY46T (98.19 % sequence similarity), Chryseobacterium takakiae AG1-2T (98.15 % sequence similarity), Chryseobacterium taiwanense BCRC 17412T (98.14 % sequence similarity), Chryseobacterium camelliae THG C4-1T (97.73 % sequence similarity) and Chryseobacterium hispalense DSM 25574T (97.60 % sequence similarity). The predominant respiratory quinone was menaquinone-6, and phosphatidylethanolamine was the major polar lipid. The predominant fatty acids of strain C-5-3T were iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and summed feature 9 (iso- C17 : 1ω9c and/or C16 : 0 10-methyl). The genomic DNA G+C content of this novel strain was 38.6 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain C-5-3T and Chryseobacterium profundimaris JCM 19801T, C. takakiae DSM 26898T, C. taiwanense KACC 13400T, C. camelliae KACC 16985T and C. hispalense DSM 25574T was 53.3, 42.7, 47.3, 33.0 and 28.0 %, respectively. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain C-5-3T represents a novel species of the genus Chryseobacterium, for which the name Chryseobacterium nepalense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is C-5-3T (=KEMB 9005-411T=KACC 18907T=JCM 31469T).

During the study of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in the oil-contaminated soil of Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, South Korea, a yellow, Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain DKC-5-1T, was isolated. This strain was non-sporulating, catalase-negative and oxidase-positive. It was able to grow at 10-33 °C, pH 6.0-8.5 and at an NaCl concentration of 0-1.5 % (w/v). This strain was characterized taxonomically using a polyphasic approach. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain DKC-5-1T belongs to the genus Sphingomonas and is closely related to Sphingomonas laterariae LNB2T (96.65 % sequence similarity), Sphingomonas haloaromaticamans A175T (96.63 % sequence similarity), Sphingomonas histidinilytica UM2T (96.63 % sequence similarity), and Sphingomonas wittichii RW1T (96.43 % sequence similarity). The only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10 and the major polyamine was homospermidine. The polar lipid profile revealed the presence of phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, sphingoglycolipid and phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine. The predominant fatty acids of strain DKC-5-1T were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), C16 : 0, C14 : 0 2-OH, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C17 : 1ω6c and C14 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content of this novel strain was 65.9 mol%. Morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain DKC-5-1T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingomonas, for which the name Sphingomonasnaphthae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DKC-5-1T (=KEMB 9005-380T=KACC 18716T=JCM 31294T).

During a study of the bacterial community in forest soil of Kyonggi University, Suwon, South Korea, a glistening yellow-pigmented, Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain C-1-16T, was isolated. This strain was non-sporulating, catalase-negative and oxidase-positive. It was able to grow at 20-42 °C, at pH 6.0-9.0 and with 0-0.5 % (w/v) NaCl. This strain was taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. Based on the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain C-1-16T formed a lineage within the family Chitinophagaceae of the phylum Bacteroidetes and closely related to the genera Filimonas(93.53 % sequence similarity), Sediminibacterium(92.52-90.75 %), Lacibacter(91.99-91.19 %) and Parasegetibacter(91.88-91.78 %). Flexirubin-type pigment was present for strain C-1-16T. The only respiratory quinone was menaquinone-7 (MK-7) and the major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The predominant fatty acids of strain C-1-16T were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, iso-C15 : 1 G, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω6c and/or C16 : 1ω7c) and C16 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content of this novel strain was 45.5 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic analysis, strain C-1-16T represents a novel species of a new genus in the family Chitinophagaceae, for which the name Arvibacter flaviflagrans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Arvibacter flaviflagrans is C-1-16T (=KEMB 900-374T=KACC 18717T=JCM 31293T).

During the study of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in the oil-contaminated soil of Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, South Korea, a light-grey-pigmented, Gram-staining-negative, aerobic, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain D39T, was isolated. This strain was non-sporulating, catalase-negative and oxidase-positive. It was able to grow at 12-42 °C, pH 5.5-8.5 and with 0-1 % (w/v) NaCl. This strain was characterized taxonomically by a polyphasic approach. Based on the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain D39T belongs to the genus Novosphingobium and is closely related to 'Novosphingobium ginsenosidimutans' FW-6 (97.30 % sequence similarity), Novosphingobium mathurense SM117T (97.17 % sequence similarity) and Novosphingobium aquiterrae E-II-3T (97.01 % sequence similarity). The only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10 and the major polyamine was spermidine. The polar lipid profile revealed the presence of phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, sphingoglycolipid and phosphatidyl-N-methylethanolamine. The predominant fatty acids of strain D39T were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C17 : 1ω6c and C14 : 0 2-OH. The genomic DNA G+C content of this novel strain was 66.7 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain D39T and 'N. ginsenosidimutans' KACC 16615, N. mathurense KACC 14598T, N. aquiterrae KACC 17599T and Novosphingobium kunmingense DSM 25975T were 33.7 %, 29.0 %, 22.3 % and 18.3 %, respectively. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain D39T represents a novel species of the genus Novosphingobium, for which the name Novosphingobium naphthae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is D39T (=KEMB 9005-346T=KACC 18593T=JCM 31158T).