• Journal of Species Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.117-133
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• 2021

In 2019, 43 bacterial strains were isolated from food, soil, marine environments, human, and animals related sources from the Republic of Korea. Based on the analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence, these isolates were allocated to the phyla Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes as unrecorded species in Korea. The 10 Bacteroidetes strains were classified into the families Bacteroidaceae, Chitinophagaceae, Cytophagaceae, Flavobacteriaceae, and Prolixibacteraceae (of the orders Bacteroidales, Chitinophagales, Cytophagales, Flavobacteriales, and Marinilabiliales, respectively). The 33 Firmicutes strains belonged to the families Bacillaceae, Paenibacillaceae, Planococcaceae, Staphylococcaceae, Clostridiaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, Enterococcaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Leuconostocaceae, and Streptococcaceae (of the orders Bacillales, Clostridiales, and Lactobacillales). These unrecorded bacteria were determined based on taxonomic criterion (>98.7%; 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). In addition, their phylogenetic affiliation, as well as cell and colony morphologies, staining reactions, and physiological and biochemical properties were investigated. Therefore, we report 43 isolates as unrecorded species, and described basic features, isolation source, and locations of these strains.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.266-277
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• 2022

The current surveys of Ulva in the subtidal area around Jeju Island give a chance to discover unrecorded green algal species of the Korean macroalgal flora. As a result of this investigation, we found Ulva adhaerens Matusmoto & Shimada, inhabiting the subtidal regions, up to 15 m deep, and conducted the DNA barcoding on plastid rbcL-3P and tufA regions with describing the morphological characteristics. Our specimens of U. adhaerens forms a monophyletic clade with the Japanese type specimen and U. piritoka Ngāti Kuri, Heesch & W.A. Nelson from New Zealand exhibiting each 0.3% sequence divergences, respectively, in the plastid rbcL-3P. The genetic variation of U. adhaerens clade is 1.0-3.9% in rbcL-3P and 4.8-9.8% in tufA to each Ulva species, including the generic type, U. lactuca Linneaus. The morphology of Korean U. adhaerens specimens is identical to the type specimens of U. adhaerens from Japan having the development of rhizoidal filaments from both of the cell layers of the distromatic blade and the extension of rhizoidal clumps with adhesive trait between blades by extended rhizoidal clumps at the basal blades. The thallus attachment to substrate is by numerous minute discoidal plates made up of rhizoids originating from the inner part of distromatic blades in basal. Although there are still some problems to resolve the relationship between U. adhaerens and U. piritoka in the rbcL dataset and the phylogenetic pattern of the Group II intron of rbcL, we propose the new record of U. adhaerens in Korean macroalgal flora based on the morphological characteristics of Korean specimens. Continued study of the genus Ulva by morphological and molecular assessment will delimit the species of Ulva, elucidate the relationships between them, and uncover the species diversity.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.133-142
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• 2022

In 2020, 24 bacterial strains were isolated from algae, kudzu leaf, mud, pine cone, seashore sand, sea water, soil, tidal flat, and wetland from the Republic of Korea. Isolated bacterial strains were identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, and those exhibiting at least 98.7% sequence similarity with known bacterial species, but not reported in Korea, were highlighted as unrecorded species. These isolates were allocated to the phyla Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria as unrecorded species in Korea. The four Bacteroidetes strains were classified into the families Chitinophagaceae, Flavobacteriaceae, and Sphingobacteriaceae (of the orders Chitinophagales, Flavobacteriales, and Sphingobacteriales, respectively). The 20 Proteobacteria strains belonged to the Aeromonadaceae, Marinobacter, Microbulbiferaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Erwiniaceae, Morganellaceae, Yersiniaceae, Lysobacteraceae, Halomonadaceae, Moraxellaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Steroidobacteraceae, Xanthomonadaceae, and Myxococcaceae (of the orders Aeromonadales, Alteromonadales, Cellvibrionales, Enterobacterales, Lysobacterales, Oceanospirillales, Pseudomonadales, Steroidobacter, Xanthomonadales, and Myxococcales). This study focused on the description of 24 unreported bacterial species in Korea in the phyla Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria belonging to six classes.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.155-161
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• 2022

Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) convert ethanol to acetic acid through oxidation, and the fermentation pathway of AAB is important in the vinegar industry. The genus Acetobacter is the representative one of AAB, and several Korean traditional vinegars are produced using Acetobacter strains. Until now, four species in the genus Acetobacter were reported as native species in Korea. During the past two years, we isolated several AAB strains from fruits, flowers and fermented foods, and several AAB species unrecorded in Korea were found on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. In this study, we report eight Acetobacter species as native ones which are A. fabarum C10-3 (=KACC 21483) isolated from plumcot fruit (Naju-si), A. lovaniensis KDG-EC1 (=KACC 22697) isolated from diced radish kimchi (Naju-si), A. okinawensis GAM12-M2 (=KACC 22696) isolated from persimmon fruit (Sangju-si), A. orientalis FR32C4 (=KACC 22370) isolated from fruit of Cudrania tricuspidata (Jeonju-si), A. papaya FR35B3 (=KACC 22046) isolated from grape fruit (Yeongdong-gun), A. suratthaniensis GAM15-R2 (=KACC 22694) isolated from persimmon fruit(Gimje-si), A. syzygii C25-1 (=KACC 22048) isolated from peach fruit (Namwon-si) and A. thailandicus JDF1-M1 (=KACC 22693) isolated from plum fruit(Seoul).

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.165-173
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• 2023

Bacterial communities inhabiting islands play a vital role in the functioning and formation of a unique, isolated ecosystem. Nevertheless, there has been a lack of systematic research on the indigenous microbiological resources of the islands in Korea. To excavate microbial resources for further studies on the metabolism and biotechnological potential, a standard dilution plating was applied to coastal seawater samples collected from islands along the west coast of the Korean Peninsula, including Deokjeokdo, Baengnyeongdo, and Daebudo in 2022. A total of 2,007 bacterial strains were isolated from the samples as single colonies and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. A total of 20 strains, with ≥98.7% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to bacterial species having validly published names but not reported in Korea, were designated as unrecorded bacterial species in Korea. The unrecorded bacterial strains were phylogenetically diverse and belonged to four phyla, five classes, 12 orders, 17 families, and 18 genera. The unreported species were assigned to Algimonas, Amylibacter, Notoacmeibacter, Roseibium, and Terasakiella of the class Alphaproteobacteria; Alteromonas, Congregibacter, Marinagarivorans, Marinicella, Oceanospirillum, Psychromonas, Thalassotalea, Umboniibacter, and Vibrio of the class Gammaproteobacteria; Lutibacter and Owenweeksia of the class Flavobacteriia; Paenibacillus of the class Bacilli; and Pelagicoccus of the class Opitutae. The taxonomic characteristics of the unreported species, including morphology, biochemistry, and phylogenetic position are provided in detail.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.spc2
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• pp.45-53
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• 2023

In July 2018, solar saltern samples were collected from Siheung, Gyeonggi-do Province to obtain unrecorded haloarchaea in Korea. The samples were suspended in a 20% NaCl (w/v) solution, and serial dilution was performed in fresh DB Characterization media No. 2. The strains isolated in this study showed at least 98.7% sequence similarity or more compared to the previously reported. Finally, 16 haloarchaeal strains, which were not reported in Korea but validly published under the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP), were obtained from a solar saltern in Siheung. These 16 isolates were allocated to the orders Halobacteriales and Haloferacales. The 10 Halobacteriales strains were classified into the family Halobacteriaceae and Haloarculaceae. Each family belonged to three genera, respectively. The other six Haloferacales belonged to the families Haloferacaceae and Halorubraceae. Each family belonged to genus genus, respectively. Collectively, the unrecorded haloarchaeal strains belonged to two orders, four families, and eight genera. During the research, the possibility of discovering previously unknown species in domestic solar saltern was established. Gram-staining, cell morphology, physiological and basic biochemical parameters, and phylogenetic analysis were all performed in this study and are described in detail for each strain.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.spc2
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• pp.7-14
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• 2023

Several genera belonging to the family Acetobacteraceae were generally considered to be acetic acid bacteria (AAB) which produce acetic acid from alcohols using an oxidation pathway. Some species of the family Acetobacteraceae have been of interest to the industry due to their capability to produce vinegar. In 2018-2020, several bacterial strains were isolated from plants, fruits and vinegar in various regions of the Republic of Korea. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences, seven species classified into the family Acetobacteraceae were found to be ones unrecorded in the Republic of Korea, including two Asaia species, one Gluconacetobacter species, three Gluconobacter species and one Komagataeibacter species. As a result, we report Asaia lannensis AF11C3 (=KACC 22050) isolated from plant Chrysanthemum zawadskii, Asaia platycodi AF15C2 (=KACC 22051) isolated from plant Isodon inflexus, Gluconacetobacter liquefaciens C23-3 (=KACC 22064) isolated from fruit of Pyrus pyrifolia, Gluconobacter cerinus BGF2-R2 (=KACC 22053) isolated from fruit of Prunus armeniaca, Gluconobacter kondonii FR39A4 (=KACC 22388) isolated from persimmon fruit, Gluconobacter thailandicus FR36C4 (=KACC 22057) isolated from fruit of Pseudocydonia sinensis and Komagataeibacter melaceti SPV-2 (=KACC 22058) isolated from potato vinegar.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.341-354
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• 2023

This is the third series of catalogs reporting on Korean species discovered through the 'Discovery of Korean Indigenous Species'. This catalog includes 22 species of invertebrates, excluding insects. The catalog includes the scientific name, an abridged list of synonyms, collection sites, distribution, diagnosis, and figures for each species. Additionally, we provide the newly assigned Korean name, specimen voucher, and, if available, mitochondrial CO1 or 16S gene sequences of the species listed. All species identified and documented here will be officially listed on the 'National Species List of Korea', a database maintained by the National Institute of Biological Resources(NIBR).

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.374-414
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• 2023

As part of a comprehensive investigation of indigenous prokaryotic species in Republic of Korea in 2022, 156 bacterial strains were isolated from diverse environmental habitats. These strains were assigned to six phyla, namely Acidobacteriota, Deinococcota, Actinomycetota, Bacillota, Bacteroidota, and Pseudomonadota. Each strain was identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (>98.7%) and the formation of robust phylogenetic clades with their closest reported species. Among isolates, there is one species belonging to the phylum Acidobacteriota, one species belonging to the phylum Deinococcota, 28 species belonging to the phylum Actinomycetota, 19 species belonging to the phylum Bacillota, 19 species belonging to the phylum Bacteroidota, and 88 species belonging to the phylum Pseudomonadota (comprising 34 species of the class Alphaproteobacteria, 20 species of the class Betaproteobacteria, and 34 species of the class Gammaproteobacteria). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, each strain was assigned to independent and predefined bacterial species. Since there were no published or official reports regarding these 156 isolates in Republic of Korea, they are reported as unrecorded species in Republic of Korea. The Gram stain, colony and cell morphology, basic biochemical characteristic, isolation source, and strain ID of each species are described in the species descriptions.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.415-429
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• 2023

As part of a comprehensive investigation of indigenous prokaryotic species in the Republic of Korea, 37 bacterial strains belonging to 36 species were isolated from diverse environmental habitats. These strains were assigned to five phyla, namely Deinococcota, Actinomycetota, Bacillota, Bacteroidota, and Pseudomonadota. Each strain was identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (>98.7%) and the formation of definite phylogenetic clades with their closest reported species. Among isolates, there is one species belonging to the phylum Deinococcota, five species belonging to the phylum Actinomycetota, four species belonging to the phylum Bacillota, nine species belonging to the phylum Bacteroidota, and 17 species belonging to the phylum Pseudomonadota (comprising eight species of the class Alphaproteobacteria, one species of the class Betaproteobacteria, and eight species of the class Gammaproteobacteria). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, each strain was assigned to independent and predefined bacterial species. Since there were no published or official reports regarding these 36 species in the Republic of Korea, they have been reported as unrecorded species in the Republic of Korea. Their Gram stain, cell morphology, colony, basic biochemical characteristics, strain ID, and isolation source of each species are described in the species descriptions.