TABLE 1.
Main characteristics of moderately halophilic gram-negative members of the Halomonadaceaea
| Feature | H. elongata (357) | H. subglaciescola (74) | H. halodurans (115) | H. halmophila (54) | H. eurihalina (200, 266) | H. halophila (269) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morphology | Rods | Rods | Rods | Rods | Short rods | Rods |
| Size (μm) | ND | 0.5–1.1 × 5–10 | 0.4–0.6 × 1.5–2.0 | 0.3–0.6 × 0.9–1.3 | 0.8–1.0 × 2.0–2.5 | 0.5–0.7 × 1.5–2.0 |
| Pigmentation | None | Cream | None | Cream | Cream | Cream |
| Motility | + | + | + | + | − | + |
| Facultative anaerobe | + | − | − | − | − | − |
| Oxidase | + | + | + | + | − | + |
| NaCl range (%) | 3.5–20 | 0.5–20 | 3.5–20 | 0.5–20 | 5–20 | 2–30 |
| NaCl optimum (%) | 3.5–8 | ND | 8 | ND | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| Temp range (°C) | 15–45 | 0–25 | 4–37 | ND | 15–45 | 15–45 |
| pH range | 5–9 | 5–9 | 5.5–8.5 | ND | 5–10 | 5–10 |
| Acid production from: | ||||||
| Arabinose | − | − | + | ND | − | − |
| Glucose | + | + | + | + | − | + |
| Lactose | − | + | − | − | − | − |
| Trehalose | ND | ND | ND | ND | − | ND |
| Mannitol | − | − | − | + | − | − |
| Hydrolysis of: | ||||||
| Gelatin | d | − | − | − | + | − |
| Casein | − | d | ND | − | − | − |
| Starch | − | − | − | − | − | − |
| Esculin | − | − | + | − | + | + |
| Tween 80 | − | − | ND | − | + | − |
| DNA | − | − | ND | + | + | − |
| H2S production | − | − | − | ND | + | + |
| Nitrate reduction | + | + | − | − | + | + |
| Nitrite reduction | + | − | − | − | − | − |
| Phosphatase | ND | − | − | − | + | + |
| Type strain | ATCC 33173 | UQM 2927 | ATCC 29686 | ATCC 19717 | ATCC 49339 | CCM 3662 |
| Habitat | Salterns | Antarctic saline lakes | Estuarine water | Dead Sea | Saline soils, salterns | Saline soils |
| G+C content (mol%) | 60.5 | 60.9–62.9 | 63.2 | 63 | 59.1–65.7 | 66.7 |
| Phylogenetic branch | Gamma Proteobacteria | Gamma Proteobacteria | Gamma Proteobacteria | Gamma Proteobacteria | Gamma Proteobacteria | Gamma Proteobacteria |
| H. salina (53, 336) | H. halodenitrificans (53, 159) | H. variablis (53, 65) | H. canadensis (128) | H. israelensis (128) | H. pantelleriense (290) | Chromohalobacter marismortui (344) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short rods | Short rods | Curved rods | Rods | Rods | Rods | Rods |
| 0.7–0.8 × 2.0–2.5 | 0.5–0.9 × 0.9–1.2 | 0.5–0.8 × 1.0–3.0 | ND | ND | 0.4–0.7 × 1.4–2.6 | 0.6–1.0 × 1.5–4.0 |
| Yellowish or cream | Cream | Cream | White | Cream | Cream-pink | Brown-yellow |
| − | − | − | + | ND | + | + |
| − | − | − | − | − | − | − |
| + | + | + | − | − | − | − |
| 2.5–20 | 3–20 | 7–28 | 3–25 | 3.5–20 | 1.2–15 | 1–30 |
| 5 | 5–9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| 15–40 | 5–32 | 15–37 | 15–30 | 15–45 | 10–44 | 5–45 |
| 6–10 | ND | 6.5–8.4 | 5–9 | 5–9 | 7.5–11 | 5–10 |
| − | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | + |
| − | − | ND | ND | ND | ND | + |
| − | ND | ND | − | − | ND | + |
| − | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | + |
| − | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| − | − | − | − | ND | − | − |
| − | ND | ND | − | ND | − | − |
| − | − | − | − | ND | − | − |
| − | − | + | ND | ND | ND | − |
| − | − | ND | ND | ND | ND | − |
| − | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | − |
| + | − | − | − | − | ND | − |
| + | + | − | + | + | + | + |
| − | + | − | − | − | ND | − |
| − | − | ND | ND | ND | ND | − |
| ATCC 49509 | ATCC 13511 | DSM 3051 | ATCC 43984 | ATCC 43985 | DSM 9661 | ATCC 17056 |
| Saline soils, salterns | Meat-curing brines | Great Salt Lake | Unknown (contaminant) | Dead Sea | Alkaline saline lake | Dead Sea, salterns |
| 60.7–64.2 | 64–66 | 61 | 57 | 64 | 65 | 62.1–64.9 |
| Gamma Proteobacteria | Gamma Proteobacteria | Gamma Proteobacteria | ND | ND | Gamma Proteobacteria | Gamma Proteobacteria |
a
+, positive; −, negative; d, differs among strains; ND, not determined.