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Phylogenetically, Cytophaga aprica and Cytophaga diffluens occupy independent positions in the flavobacter-bacteroides phylum. Both of these organisms are gram-negative rods that are motile by gliding, chemoorganotrophic, and aerobic, degrade several kinds of biomacromolecules, and inhabit marine environments. Their major isoprenoid quinone is menaquinone 7. The G+C content of the DNA of C. aprica is 35 to 37 mol%, and the G+C content of the DNA of C. diffluens is 40 to 42 mol%. In addition to constituting an independent phylogenetic lineage, each species has a distinctive cellular polyamine constitution. C. aprica is characterized by possessing cadaverine as its major polyamine, and C. diffluens is characterized by possessing spermidine, in contrast to most species of the genera Cytophaga, Flavobacterium, and Flexibacter and related organisms, which possess homospermidine. Transfer of C. aprica to the genus Flammeovirga gen. nov. as Flammeovirga aprica comb. nov. and transfer of C. diffluens to the genus Persicobacter gen. nov. as Persicobacter diffluens comb. nov. are proposed.

Five chitin-degrading bacteria were isolated from soil. These organisms were strictly aerobic and rod shaped, formed spores, contained menaquinone 7 as the major isoprenoid quinone and 12-methyltetradecanoic acid as the major cellular fatty acid, and had guanine-plus-cytosine contents of 51.3 to 54.9 mol%, characteristics which indicate that they belong to the genus Bacillus. These five strains were divided into two groups on the basis of physiological characteristics and the results of a DNA-DNA hybridization study. As low levels of DNA relatedness were found between our isolates and previously described Bacillus strains, we propose that our isolates should be classified in two new Bacillus species, Bacillus ehimensis and Bacillus chitinolyticus. The type strains of B. ehimensis and B. chitinolyticus are strains IFO 15659 and IFO 15660, respectively.

The distribution of 3-ketolactose formation among members of the alpha subclass of the Proteobacteria was investigated by the Benedict reagent test and by a more sensitive quantitative method in which high-performance liquid chromatography was used. 3-Ketolactose formation activity was found in strains of Agrobacterium biovar 1 and in strains of eight species of the genus Sphingomonas, including Sphingomonas paucimobilis (the type species), which belong to the alpha-2 and alpha-4 subclasses of the Proteobacteria, respectively. Weak activity was found in Erythrobacter longus IFO 14126T(T = type strain), a member of the alpha-4 subclass of the Proteobacteria. The ketosugar was not produced by members of the other taxa of the alpha subclass of the Proteobacteria tested. The ketosugar was isolated from culture broths of S. paucimobilis IFO 13935Tand Sphingomonas yanoikuyae IFO 15102Tand was identified as 3-ketolactose [4-O-(β-D-xylo-hexopyranosyl-3-ulose)-D-glucopyranose] by chromatographic analyses and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

The taxonomic positions of 10 strains of 3-ketolactose-forming bacteria which were isolated from the roots of plants (Rosa sp., Psychotria nairobiensis, Ardisia crispa, Prunus persica, and apple trees) were investigated. The DNA base compositions of these strains ranged from 64.0 to 65.7 mol%, the isoprenoid quinone of each strain was ubiquinone 10, 3-hydroxy fatty acids were lacking in the cellular fatty acids of these organisms, and all of the strains contained a sphingolipid with the long-chain base dihydrosphingosin. These are characteristics of the genus Sphingomonas. On the basis of morphological, physiological, and chemotaxonomic characteristics, together with DNA-DNA hybridization and 16S ribosomal DNA sequence comparison data, we propose the following four new species of the genus Sphingomonas: Sphingomonas rosa (type strain, IFO 15208) for the strains isolated from rose plants and formerly named [Agrobacterium rhizogenes]; Sphingomonas pruni (type strain, IFO 15498) for the strains isolated from Prunus persica; and Sphingomonas asaccharolytica (type strain, IFO 15499) and Sphingomonas mali (type strain, IFO 15500) for the strains isolated from apple trees. Two strains which were isolated from Psychotria nairobiensis and formerly named [Chromobacterium lividum] were identified as Sphingomonas yanoikuyae strains.

The taxonomic position of Flavobacterium okeanokoites IFO 12536T (T = type strain) was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and chemotaxonomic methods. Phylogenetic evidence derived from a 16S rRNA sequence analysis indicated that F. okeanokoites, which forms rod-shaped cells, belongs to the genus Planococcus, which forms spherical cells. A phylogenetically close relationship was supported by chemotaxonomic characteristics, such as the presence of menaquinone 7 and menaquinone 8 as major isoprenoid quinones, the presence of phosphatidylglycerol, bisphosphatydylglycerol, and phosphatidylethanolamine as cellular polar lipids, and the G + C content of the DNA (46.3 mol%). These data suggest that whether a cell is a rod or a coccus is not a generic criterion. Accordingly, we propose that F. okeanokoites should be transferred to the genus Planococcus and that the description of the genus Planococcus should be emended.

The taxonomic position of "Pseudomonas riboflavina" was studied by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and chemotaxonomic methods. This organism is a gram-negative, strictly aerobic rod and has a DNA guanine-plus-cytosine content of 61.4 mol%; the major isoprenoid quinone is ubiquinone 10, and the unusual cellular fatty acids 3-hydroxytetracosenoic acid (3-OH 24:1) and 3-hydroxyhexacosenoic acid (3-OH 26:1) are the major 3-hydroxy cellular fatty acids. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA sequences revealed that "P. riboflavina" IFO 13584T (T = type strain) occupies an independent position in the alpha subclass of the Proteobacteria. On the basis of our data, we propose that "P. riboflavina" IFO 13584T should be transferred to the genus Devosia gen. nov. as Devosia riboflavina sp. nov., nom. rev.

Twelve strains placed in the genera Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Aureobacterium, including soil isolates, were characterized taxonomically. On the basis of morphological, physiological, and chemotaxonomic data, as well as DNA-DNA hybridization data, we propose that 11 of these strains should be classified in the genus Aureobacterium as new combinations or new species, as follows: Aureobacterium esteraromaticum comb. nov. (type strain, IFO 3751 [= ATCC 8091]), Aureobacterium arabinogalactanolyticum sp. nov. (type strain, IFO 14344), Aureobacterium keratanolyticum sp. nov. (type strain, IFO 13309), Aureobacterium luteolum sp. nov. (type strain, IFO 15074 [= DMS 20143]), Aureobacterium schleiferi sp. nov. (type strain, IFO 15075 [= DMS 20489]), Aureobacterium terrae sp. nov. (type strain, IFO 15300), and Aureobacterium trichothecenolyticum sp. nov. (type strain, IFO 15077 [= JCM 1358]). Whereas the peptidoglycan type of members of this genus is considered to be B2beta, the new species A. keratanolyticum was shown to have a new peptidoglycan type, murein variation B2alpha. An emended description of the genus Aureobacterium is presented.