A novel Gram-negative, mesophilic, slightly halophilic, catalase-and oxidase-positive, obligately aerobic bacterium, designated strain YIM-C238 T , was isolated from a sediment sample from a salt lake in the Qaidam Basin, north-west China. Cells were non-sporulating, non-motile, straight to slightly curved rods. Coccoid bodies and filaments of varying length developed in older cultures. Growth occurred with 0.5-6 % (w/v) NaCl [optimum, 2-3 % (w/v) NaCl ], at pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-8.0)

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... at 10-40 6C (optimum, 25-30 6C). The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C 15 : 0 , 3-OH iso-C 16 : 0 and anteiso-C 15 : 1 v10c, and menaquinone 6 was the sole respiratory quinone. Non-diffusible carotenoid pigments were produced. Flexirubin pigments were absent. The genomic DNA G+C content was 35.8 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain YIM-C238 T should be assigned to the genus Psychroflexus. The sequence similarities between the isolate and the type strains of members of the genus Psychroflexus were in the range 95.5-97.0 %. The combination of phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA hybridization data, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic differences supported the view that strain YIM-C238 T represents a novel species of the genus Psychroflexus, for which the name Psychroflexus sediminis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM-C238 T (5CCTCC AA 207030 T 5KCTC 22166 T ).