A Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, motile and slightly curved rod-shaped bacterium (BFLP-4T) was isolated from the faeces of wild seahorses (Hippocampus guttulatus) captured in northwest Spain (Toralla, Galicia). Strain BFLP-4T grew at 10–35 °C and pH 5–9 (optimally at 20 °C and pH 7.2) and at salt concentrations in the range 0–7% w/v NaCl. The G+C content of the DNA was 49.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strain BFLP-4T was a member of the genus Vibrio, being most closely related to Vibrio ichthyoenteri (97.1%), Vibrio mediterranei (96.7%), Vibrio scophthalmi (96.7%) and Vibrio sinaloensis (96.6%). A phylogenetic analysis based on recA gene sequences also supported the affiliation of strain BFLP-4T to the genus Vibrio. Strain BFLP-4T could be readily differentiated from other closely related species by several phenotypic properties and fatty acid profiles. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data, strain BFLP-4T represents a novel species within the genus Vibrio, for which the name Vibrio hippocampi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BFLP-4T (=DSM 22717T=LMG 25354T)

This study was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology (Hippocampus CGL2005-05927-C03-01). J.L.B. was supported by a postdoctoral I3P contract from the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC).

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