Abstract

A moderately halophilic, Gram-positive and rod-shaped bacterium, strain m4-4(T), was isolated from a Chihuahuan desert lagoon in Cuatro Cienegas, Coahuila, Mexico. Strain m4-4(T) was found to grow optimally at 30-37 degrees C, pH 7.0-8.0 and 5 % NaCl and to tolerate from 0.5 % to 10 % NaCl. It was shown to be aerobic. The genomic DNA G + C content was about 37 mol%. Strain m4-4(T) exhibited minimal or no growth on most sugars tested. Its major cellular fatty acids were C-14: 0, C-16: 0 and C-18: 1. Based on phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA and recA gene sequences, we observed that the closest relatives of the isolate are moderately halophilic, Bacillus species, with 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity ranging from 96.6 to 97.4% (Bacillus marisflavi, Bacillus aquimaris and Bacillus vietnamensis). Additionally, using genomic data it was determined that the type strain contains a total of nine rRNA operons with three slightly different sequences. On the basis of phenotypic and molecular properties, strain m4-4(T) represents a novel species within the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus coahuilensis sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain m4-4(T) (=NRRL B-41737(T) =CECT 7197(T)).