VERRUCOMICROBIA DIV. NOV., A NEW DIVISION OF THE BACTERIA CONTAINING 3 NEW SPECIES OF PROSTHECOBACTER

Four strains of nonmotile, prosthecate bacteria were isolated in the 1 970s and assigned to the genus Prosthecobacter. These strains were com pared genotypically by DNA/DNA reassociation and 16S rDNA based phylog enetic analyses. Genotypic comparisons were complemented with phenotyp ic characterizations. Together, these studies clearly indicate each Pr osthecobacter strain represents a novel species of bacteria. We propos e three new species of Prosthecobacter, P. dejongeii strain FC1, P. va nneervenii strain FC2, and P. debontii strain FC3; P. fusiformis is re served for the type strain of the genus, strain FC4. Additionally, we propose the genera Prosthecobacter and Verrucomicrobium, currently mem bers of the order Verrucomicrobiales, to comprise a novel higher order taxonomic group, the division Verrucomicrobia div. nov. and the class Verrumicrobiae class nov. Many novel members of the Verrucomicrobia, as revealed by molecular ecology studies, await isolation and descript ion.