Flexibacter maritimus sp. nov., a Pathogen of Marine Fishes

Abstract
The name Flexibacter maritimus is proposed for a group of 15 bacterial strains isolated from diseased red sea bream (Pagrus major), black sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegeli), and rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus). These bacteria grew in cytophaga medium prepared with seawater but failed to grow in cytophaga medium supplemented with NaCl. The isolates were gram-negative, flexible rods which exhibited gliding motility on wet surfaces. They did not utilize agar, cellulose, or chitin. The mean guanine-plus-cytosine content of the deoxyribonucleic acids of eight selected strains was 31.8 ± 0.4 mol%. Strain R2 (= NCMB 2514) is designated the type strain of the new species.