Sphingomonas fennica sp. nov. and Sphingomonas haloaromaticamans sp. nov., outliers of the genus Sphingomonas.

Bacterial isolates obtained from polychlorophenol-contaminated sites in Finland (strain K101(T)) and from a Dutch drinking water well (strain A175(T)) were characterized taxonomically. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, determination of DNA G+C content, physiological characterization, estimation of the ubiquinone and polar lipid patterns and fatty acid content revealed that strains K101(T) and A175(T) were similar to Sphingomonas wittichii RW1(T) but also showed pronounced differences. The DNA G+C contents of the two novel strains were 63.6 and 66.1 mol%, respectively. On the basis of these results, two novel species of the genus Sphingomonas are described, for which the names Sphingomonas haloaromaticamans sp. nov. [type strain A175(T) (=DSM 13477(T)=CCUG 53463(T))] and Sphingomonas fennica sp. nov. [type strain K101(T) (=DSM 13665(T)=CCUG 53462(T))] are proposed