Transfer of Halomonas canadensis and Halomonas israelensis to the genus Chromohalobacter as Chromohalobacter canadensis comb. nov and Chromohalobacter israelensis comb. nov.

16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons and DNA-DNA hybridization data support t he conclusion that two species previously described as members of the genus Halomonas. Halomonas israelensis and Halomonas canadensis, should be place d in the genus Chromohalobacter, Both H. israelensis ATCC 43985(T) (= Ba-1( T)) and H. canadensis ATCC 43984(T) (= NRCC 41227(T)) have been used extens ively for physiological studies for many years; nevertheless, they were not named and classified taxonomically until quite recently, Their phenotypic resemblance (at least 65% Jaccard similarity) to some members of the genus Halomonas and the degree of DNA-DNA relatedness (lower than 60%) to other d escribed species of this genus permitted the conclusion that they were dist inct species belonging to the genus Halomonas. In this study, the 16S rDNA of both species has been sequenced completely and found to share higher sim ilarity to the available sequences of the moderately halophilic bacterium C hromohalobacter marismortui than to sequences of members of the genus Halom onas, C. marismortui is the sole species of the genus Chromohalobacter, als o included in the family Halomonadaceae. and shares many phenotypic feature s with H. canadensis and H. israelensis, It is proposed that the two specie s should be renamed as Chromohalobacter canadensis comb, nov, and Chromohal obacter israelensis comb, nov, An emended description of the genus Chromoha lobacter is given in order to include the features of these two species.