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Two hundred and eighteen strains of nonfermentative marine bacteria were submitted to an extensive morphological, physiological, and nutritional characterization. All the strains were gram-negative, straight or curved rods which were motile by means of polar or peritrichous flagella. A wide variety of organic substrates served as sole sources of carbon and energy. The strains differed extensively in their nutritional versatility, being able to utilize from 11 to 85 carbon compounds. Some strains had an extracellular amylase, gelatinase, lipase, or chitinase and were able to utilize n-hexadecane and to denitrify. None of the strains had a yellow, cell-associated pigment or a constitutive arginine dihydrolase system, nor were they able to hydrolyze cellulose or agar. The results of the physiological and nutritional characterization were submitted to a numerical analysis which clustered the strains into 22 groups on the basis of phenotypic similarities. The majority of these groups were separable by a large number of unrelated phenotypic traits. Analysis of the moles per cent guanine plus cytosine (GC) content in the deoxyribonucleic acid of representative strains indicated that the peritrichously flagellated groups had a GC content of 53.7 to 67.8 moles %; polarly flagellated strains had a GC content of 30.5 to 64.7 moles %. The peritrichously flagellated groups were assigned to the genus Alcaligenes. The polarly flagellated groups, which had a GC content of 43.2 to 48.0 moles %, were placed into a newly created genus, Alteromonas; groups which had a GC content of 57.8 to 64.7 moles % were placed into the genus Pseudomonas; and the remaining groups were left unassigned. Twelve groups were given the following designations: Alteromonas communis, A. vaga, A. macleodii, A. marinopraesens, Pseudomonas doudoroffi, P. marina, P. nautica, Alcaligenes pacificus, A. cupidus, A. venustus, and A. aestus. The problems of assigning species of aerobic marine bacteria to genera are discussed.

F i f t ys i x s t r a i n s o f " h y d r o g e n b a ct e r i a a n d r e l a t e d n o n a u t o t r o p h i c b a c t e r i a ,

One-hundred-and-forty-five isolates of marine origin were submitted to an extensive physiological, nutritional, and morphological characterization. All strains were gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, straight or curved rods which were motile by means of flagella. Glucose was fermented with the production of acid but no gas. Sodium but no organic growth factors were required. None of the strains were able to denitrify or fix molecular nitrogen. The results of nutritional and physiological tests were submitted to a numerical analysis. On the basis of phenotypic similarity, nine groups were established. These groups could be distinguished from one another by multiple, unrelated, phenotypic traits. Six groups which had deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) containing 45 to 48 moles per cent guanine plus cytosine (GC) were assigned to a redefined genus Beneckea. All of the strains in this genus, when grown in liquid medium, had a single, polar flagellum. When grown on a solid medium, many strains had peritrichous flagella. Two groups were similar to previously described species and were designated B. alginolytica and B. natriegens. The remaining four groups were designated B. campbellii, B. neptuna, B. nereida, and B. pelagia. An additional group of phenotypically similar strains having the properties of the genus Beneckea was not included in the numerical analysis. These strains were readily separable from species of this genus and were designated B. parahaemolytica. Of the remaining groups, one was identified as Photobacterium flscheri. The other group (B-2) which had about 41 moles % GC content in its DNA could not be placed into existing genera. 268on July 3, 2020 by guest http://jb.asm.org/ Downloaded fromAfter 48 hr of incubation, the plates were flooded with acidic mercuric chloride (52). Amylase production was determined on YEA containing 2 g of starch per liter. After 48 hr of incubation, the plates were flooded with Lugol's Iodine solution (53). Lipase production was 269