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Abstract

The strain KT0803T was isolated from coastal eutrophic surface waters of Helgoland Roads near the island of Helgoland, North Sea, Germany. The taxonomic position of the strain, previously known as 'Gramella forsetii' KT0803, was investigated by a polyphasic approach. The strain was Gram-stain negative, chemo-organotrophic, heterotrophic, strictly aerobic, oxidase and catalase positive, rod-shaped, motile by gliding and had orange-yellow carotenoid pigments, but was negative for flexirubin-type pigments. It grew optimally at 22-25 °C, pH 7.5 and at a salinity between 2-3%. Strain KT0803T hydrolysed the polysaccharides laminarin, alginate, pachyman and starch. The respiratory quinone was MK-6. Polar lipids comprised phosphatidylethanolamine, six unidentified lipids and two unidentified aminolipids. The predominant fatty acids were iso-C15:0, iso-C17:0 3-OH, C16:1 ω7c and iso-C17:1 ω7c, with smaller amounts iso-15:0 2-OH, C15:0, anteiso-C15:0 and C17:1 ω6c. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 36.6 mol%. The 16S rRNA gene sequence identities were 98.6% with G. echinicola DSM 19838T, 98.3% with G. gaetbulicola DSM 23082T, 98.1% with G. aestuariivivens BG-MY13T and G. aquimixticola HJM-19T, 98.0% with G. lutea YJ019T, 97.9% with G. portivictoriae DSM 23547T and 96.9% with G. marina KMM 6048T. The DNA-DNA relatedness values were <35% between strain KT0803T and type strains with >98.2% 16S rRNA gene sequence identity. Based on the chemotaxonomic, phenotypic and genomic characteristics, strain KT0803T has been assigned to the genus Gramella, as Gramella forsetii sp. nov. The type strain is KT0803T (=DSM 17595T =CGMCC 1.15422T). An emended description of Gramella gaetbulicola Cho et al. 2011 is proposed.