Proposal for the reclassification of Thiobacillus novellus as Starkeya novella gen. nov., comb. nov., in the alpha-subclass of the Proteobacteria

Thiobacillus novellus is a facultatively chemolithoautotrophic and methylot rophic, Gram-negative, rod-shaped sulfur bacterium, shown by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis to be a member of the alpha-2 subclass of the Proteobacte ria, As such, it must be excluded from the genus Thiobacillus. whose specie s are members of the beta-Proteobacteria, It closest phylogenetic neighbour appears to be Ancylobacter, from which it is distinct morphologically and in some physiological characteristics. It is distinct physiologically and b iochemically in a number of diagnostic features from Paracoccus versutus, i n the alpha-3 subclass of the Proteobacteria and does not appear to be suff iciently closely related to any other genus of the alpha-Proteobacteria to be reassigned to a known genus. The new genus and species name Starkeya nov ella is proposed for T, novellus, The type strain is ATCC 8093(T) (= NCIMB 10456(T) = NCIMB 9113(T) = DSM 506(T) = IAM 12100(T) = IFO 12443(T) = CCM 1 077(T)).