Phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic analyses of Pelczaria aurantia ATCC 49321T (= DSM 12801T) indicate that this species is very closely related to Kocuria rosea. The DNA-DNA reassociation value of 87.1% determined for the type strains of the two species supports this finding. The results of phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rDNA of a subculture of the original strain of Pelczaria aurantia, deposited at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA, as 'Neisseria aurantia', are identical to those for strain ATCC 49321T and indicate that Pelczaria aurantia ATCC 49321T is an authentic subculture of the original culture described by Poston (1993). On the basis of these findings it is concluded that P. aurantia ATCC 49321T and K. rosea DSM 20447T are members of the same taxon. The taxonomic consequences of this union are discussed.

Genomes from three strains of Kocuria rosea were sequenced. K. rosea ATCC 186, the type strain, was 3,958,612 bp in length with a total G+C content of 72.70%. When assembled, K. rosea ATCC 516 was 3,862,128 bp with a 72.82% G+C content. K. rosea ATCC 49321 was 4,018,783 bp in size with a 72.49% G+C content.

The Judicial Commission of the International Committee for Systematics of Prokaryotes has decided to place the genus Pelczaria with the species Pelczaria aurantia on the list of nomina rejicienda, due to the lack of an authentic type or neotype strain.

16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences were determined for the five species of the genus Deinococcus (Deinococcus erythromyxa, Deinococcus proteolyticus, Deinococcus radiodurans, Deinococcus radiophilus, and Deinococcus radiopugnans) and the single species of the genus. Deinobacter (Deinobacter grandis). With the exception of Deinococcus erythromyxa, the deinococci form a coherent phylogenetic cluster which is related to the Thermus-Meiothermus lineage. An analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence of Deinococcus erythromyxa revealed that this organism is an actinomycete and a member of the genus Kocuria. Deinobacter grandis falls within the radiation of the genus Deinococcus and phylogenetically can be considered a member of this genus. The results of the phylogenetic analyses are consistent with chemotaxonomic data. On the basis of our data, Deinobacter grandis is transferred to the genus Deinococcus as Deinococcus grandis comb. nov., the description of the genus Deinococcus is emended accordingly, and Deinococcus erythromyxa is transferred to the genus Kocuria as Kocuria erythromyxa comb. nov. The description of the family Deinococcaceae is emended to include organisms with rod-shaped cells, and a set of 16S rDNA signature nucleotides is designated for this group. On the basis of the distinct phylogenetic position of the Deinococcus lineage and a set of 16S rDNA signature nucleotides, the order Deinococcales ord. nov. is described.

An organism from a goldfish aquarium, isolated on barbital medium, was found to be a Gram-positive coccus which divided in alternating planes, often appearing as a doublet or as a tetrad with adjacent sides flattened. It grew well, although slowly, on rich solid medium (LB agar) and in liquid brain-heart infusion at room temperature (ca. 22 degrees C); growth was slower and less extensive at 30 degrees C or 37 degrees C. No growth was seen at 4-5 degrees C or at 42 degrees C. It withstands brief exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Its growth was inhibited by low levels (0.1 unit/ml) of penicillin but was unaffected by levels of acetazolamide in excess of 1 mg/ml, indicating that it lacks carbonic anhydrase. Acid was not produced from glucose, maltose, mannose, lactose, or sucrose and only weakly, if at all, from fructose. Its DNA has a G + C mol percent of 59 measured chromatographically and neither the DNA nor rRNA from the organism hybridized with DNA from any organism that seemed related on morphological or other bases. Thin-layer chromatography of chloroform:methanol extracts of the organism show that it contains phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, and phosphatidyl glycerol. Cell-wall preparations contain glutamic acid, serine, histidine, lysine, and alanine in the ratio of 1:1:1:1:8. Colonies were red-orange in color due, in larger measure, to a carotenoid tentatively identified as rhodopin. The organism was named Pelczaria aurantia.

Two Gram-positive, aerobic spherical actinobacteria were isolated from the rhizoplane of narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) collected from a floating mat in the Soroks?r tributary of the Danube river, Hungary. Sequence comparisons of the 16S rDNA indicated these isolates to be phylogenetic neighbours of members of the genus Kocuria, family Micrococcaceae, in which they represent two novel lineages. The phylogenetic distinctness of the two organisms TA68T and TAGA27T was supported by DNA-DNA similarity values of less than 55% between each other and with the type strains of Kocuria rosea, Kocuria kristinae and Kocuria varians. Chemotaxonomic properties supported the placement of the two isolates in the genus Kocuria. The diagnostic diamino acid of the cell-wall peptidoglycan is lysine, the interpeptide bridge is composed of three alanine residues. Predominant menaquinone was MK-7(H2). The fatty acid pattern represents the straight-chain saturated iso-anteiso type. Main fatty acid was anteiso-C15:0. The phospholipids are diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and an unknown component. The DNA base composition of strains TA68T and TAGA27T is 69.4 and 69.6 mol% G+C, respectively. Genotypic, morphological and physiological characteristics are used to describe two new species of Kocuria, for which we propose the names Kocuria palustris, type strain DSM 11925T and Kocuria rhizophila, type strain DSM 11926T.

Based upon the results of another publication [P. Schumann et al. (2000). Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 50, 1421-1424) it is concluded that the culture Pelczaria aurantia ATCC 49321T (= DSM 12801T) currently being distributed does not conform to the description of the type strain of Pelczaria aurantia (Poston 1994) and the type species of the genus Pelczaria (Poston 1994). It is proposed that the Judicial Commission consider (1) that the organism currently deposited as ATCC 49321T and DSM 12801T be recognized as a member of the species Kocuria rosea; (2) that the organism deposited as ATCC 49321T and DSM 12801T as the type strain of the species does not represent a strain of the species Pelczaria aurantia; (3) to place the name Pelczaria aurantia (Poston 1994) on the list of rejected names if a suitable replacement strain, or a neotype, cannot be found within 2 years of publication of this Request (Rule 18c); (4) to place the genus name Pelczaria (Poston 1994) on the list of rejected names [c.f. Recommendation 20d (3)] if a suitable replacement type strain or a neotype for the type species of the genus Pelczaria (Poston 1994) cannot be found as outlined in (3).