A NEW SPECIES OF BROWN AGAR-DIGESTING BACTERIA OF THE GENUS ALTEROMONAS

Four strains of bacteria assigned to the genus Alteromonas are isolate d from homogenates of sea squirts and sponges inhabiting the coastal w aters of the Sea of japan and Komandorskie Islands. These bacteria are Gram-negative nonfermenting rod-shaped aerobes, motile by virtue of a single polar flagellum. The (G + C) content of their DNA ranges from 41.5 to 43.8 mole %. They possess a set of pheno- and genotypic charac teristics that unite them in a homogeneous group. However, they produc e melanin-like intracellular pigment and digest agar, carrageenan, and other polysaccharides and, thus, differ from the known species of alt eromonas. Based on the phenotypic properties and DNA - DNA hybridizati on of the isolated strains and type strains of the genus Alteromonas ( A. nigrifaciens, A. haloplanktis, A. macleodii, and A. tetraodonis) we suggest that KMM 216, KMM 256, KMM 250, and KMM 504 strains be identi fied as a new species Alteromonas fuliginea sp. nov. and present its d escription.