ORCID

Abstract

Thiomicrospira spp. are small sulfur-oxidising chemolithoautotrophic members of the Gammaproteobacteria. Whilst the type species Tms. pelophila and closely related Tms. thyasirae exhibit canonical spiral morphology under sub-optimal growth conditions, most species are vibrios or rods. The 16S rRNA gene diversity is vast, with identities as low as 91.6 % to Tms. pelophila versus Tms. frisia, for example. Thiomicrospira was examined with closely related genera Hydrogenovibrio and Thioalkalimicrobium and, to rationalise organisms on the basis of the 16S rRNA gene phylogeny, physiology and morphology, we reclassify Tms. kuenenii, Tms. crunogena, Tms. thermophila and Tms. halophila to Hydrogenovibrio kuenenii comb. nov., H. crunogenus corrig. comb. nov., H. thermophilus corrig. comb. nov., and H. halophilus corrig. comb. nov. We reclassify Tms. frisia, Tms. arctica, Tms. psychrophila and Tms. chilensis to Thiomicrorhabdus gen. nov., as Tmr. frisia comb. nov., Tmr. arctica comb. nov., Tmr. psychrophila comb. nov. and Tmr. chilensis comb. nov. – the type species of Thiomicrorhabdus is Tmr. frisia. We demonstrate Thioalkalimicrobium spp. fall in the genus Thiomicrospira sensu stricto, thus reclassifying them to Tms. aerophila corrig. comb. nov., Tms. microaerophila corrig. comb. nov., Tms. cyclica corrig. comb. nov.and Tms. sibirica corrig. comb. nov. We provide emended descriptions of the genera Thiomicrospira and Hydrogenovibrio and of Tms. thyasirae.

Publication Date

2017-02-05

Publication Title

International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology

ISSN

1466-5026

Embargo Period

2018-04-30

Organisational Unit

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Keywords

Chemolithoautotroph, Thiomicrospira, Thiomicrorhabdus, Hydrogenovibrio, Thioalkalimicrobium, thiosulfate

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