Alteromonas colwelliana sp. nov., an Isolate from Oyster Habitats

Abstract

A new species of Alteromonas, for which the name Alteromonas colwelliana is proposed, is described. This organism is a gram-negative, marine, aerobic, polarly flagellated rod-shaped bacterium that can grow as filamentous helices, synthesize melanin, and excrete acidic polysaccharide exopolymer. Its deoxyribonucleic acid has a guanine-plus-cytosine content of 46 mol% and less than 20% homology with the deoxyribonucleic acids of other phenotypically related species. The type strain is A. colwelliana LST-W (= ATCC 39565).