title: Proposal for the reclassification of Thiobacillus novellus as Starkeya novella gen. nov., comb. nov., in the alpha-subclass of the Proteobacteria.
abstract: Thiobacillus novellus is a facultatively chemolithoautotrophic and methylotrophic, Gram-negative, rod-shaped sulfur bacterium, shown by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis to be a member of the alpha-2 subclass of the Proteobacteria. As such, it must be excluded from the genus Thiobacillus, whose species are members of the beta-Proteobacteria. It closest phylogenetic neighbour appears to be Ancylobacter, from which it is distinct morphologically and in some physiological characteristics. It is distinct physiologically and biochemically in a number of diagnostic features from Paracoccus versutus, in the alpha-3 subclass of the Proteobacteria and does not appear to be sufficiently closely related to any other genus of the alpha-Proteobacteria to be reassigned to a known genus. The new genus and species name Starkeya novella is proposed for T. novellus. The type strain is ATCC 8093T (= NCIMB 10456T = NCIMB 9113T = DSM 506T = IAM 12100T = IFO 12443T = CCM 1077T).
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D020561:Alphaproteobacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D020459:Genes, rRNA / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013855:Thiobacillus / Q000145:classification*
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S