Genus Rhodobacter
Warning: In the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature, an arrow (→) only indicates the sequence of valid publication of names and does not mean that the last name in the sequence must be used (see: Introduction).
Number of species, including synonyms, cited in this file: 20
Number of subspecies, including synonyms, cited in this file: 0
Classification (Warning: see also the file "Classification of prokaryotes: Introduction").
For a detailed description of this taxon see Bergey’s Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria (BMSAB).
Rhodobacter Imhoff et al. 1984, gen. nov. (Type genus of the order ¤ Rhodobacterales Garrity et al. 2006; type genus of the family ¤ Rhodobacteraceae Garrity et al. 2006).
Type species: ¤ Rhodobacter capsulatus (Molisch 1907) Imhoff et al. 1984.
Recommended three-letter abbreviation: Rba. (see the file ¤ "Three-letter code for abbreviations of generic names").
Etymology: Gr. n. rhodon, a rose; N.L. masc. n. bacter, rod; N.L. masc. n. Rhodobacter, red-colored rod.
Valid publication: IMHOFF (J.F.), TRÜPER (H.G.) and PFENNIG (N.): Rearrangement of the species and genera of the phototrophic "purple nonsulfur bacteria". Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1984, 34, 340-343.
Original article in IJSEM Online
→ Rhodobacter Imhoff et al. 1984 emend. Srinivas et al. 2007.
Reference: SRINIVAS (T.N.R.), ANIL KUMAR (P.), SASIKALA (C.), RAMANA (C.V.) and IMHOFF (J.F.): Rhodobacter vinaykumarii sp. nov., a marine phototrophic alphaproteobacterium from tidal waters, and emended description of the genus Rhodobacter. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2007, 57, 1984-1987.
Original article in IJSEM Online
→ Paenirhodobacter Imhoff et al. 1984 emend. Srinivas et al. 2007 emend. Wang et al. 2014.
Reference: WANG, D., LIU, H., ZHENG, S. and WANG, G. 2014. Paenirhodobacter enshiensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a non-photosynthetic bacterium isolated from soil, and emended descriptions of the genera Rhodobacter and Haematobacter. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 64, 551-558.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter adriaticus (Neutzling et al. 1984) Imhoff et al. 1984, comb. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) Imhoff 6II = BN 721(6II) = ATCC 35885= DSM 2781.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: D16418.
Basonym: ¤ Rhodopseudomonas adriatica Neutzling et al. 1984.
Etymology: L. masc. adj. adriaticus, pertaining to the Adriatic Sea.
Valid publication: IMHOFF (J.F.), TRÜPER (H.G.) and PFENNIG (N.): Rearrangement of the species and genera of the phototrophic "purple nonsulfur bacteria". Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1984, 34, 340-343.
Original article in IJSEM Online
→ ¤ Rhodovulum adriaticum (Neutzling et al. 1984) Hiraishi and Ueda 1994, comb. nov.
Rhodobacter aestuarii Venkata Ramana et al. 2009, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) JA296 = CCUG 55130 = JCM 14887.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: AM748926.
Etymology: L. gen. n. aestuarii, of the estuary, the environment from which the type strain was isolated.
Valid publication: VENKATA RAMANA (V.), ANIL KUMAR (P.), SRINIVAS (T.N.R.), SASIKALA (C.) and RAMANA (C.V.): Rhodobacter aestuarii sp. nov., a phototrophic alphaproteobacterium isolated from an estuarine environment. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2009, 59, 1133-1136.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter azollae Suresh et al. 2017, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) JA912=KCTC 15475=LMG.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: LN810641.
Etymology: N.L. fem. gen. n. azollae, of the water fern Azolla.
Source: Environmental - freshwater.
Valid publication: SURESH, G., SAILAJA, B., ASHIF, A., DAVE, B. P., SASIKALA, Ch. and RAMANA, Ch. V. 2017. Description of Rhodobacter azollae sp. nov. and Rhodobacter lacus sp. nov. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 67, 3289-3295.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter azotoformans Hiraishi et al. 1997, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) KA25 = CIP 105439 = IFO (now NBRC) 16436 = JCM 9340.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: D70846.
Etymology: N.L. n. azotum [from Fr. n. azote (from Gr. prep. a, not; Gr. n. zôê, life; N.Gr. n. azôê, not sustaining life)], nitrogen; N.L. pref. azo-, pertaining to nitrogen; L. part. adj. formans, forming; N.L. part. adj. azotoformans, nitrogen forming.
Valid publication: Validation List no. 61. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1997, 47, 601-602.
Effective publication: HIRAISHI (A.), MURAMATSU (K.) and UEDA (Y.): Molecular genetic analyses of Rhodobacter azotoformans sp. nov. and related species of phototrophic bacteria. Syst. Appl. Microbiol., 1996, 19, 168-177.
Validation List no. 61 in IJSEM Online - Effective publication Online
Rhodobacter blasticus corrig. (Eckersley and Dow 1981) Kawasaki et al. 1994, comb. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) ATCC 33485= CIP 104374 = DSM 2131 = IFO (now NBRC) 16437 = LMG 4305 = NCIMB 11576.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: DQ342322.
Basonym: ¤ Rhodopseudomonas blastica Eckersley and Dow 1981.
Etymology: Gr. adj. blastikos -ê -on, budding, sprouting; N.L. masc. adj. blasticus, budding, apt to bud.
Valid publication: Validation List no. 51. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1994, 44, 852.
Effective publication: KAWASAKI (H.), HOSHINO (Y.), HIRATA (A.) and YAMASATO (K.): Is intracytoplasmic membrane structure a generic criterion? It does not coincide with phylogenetic interrelationships among phototrophic purple nonsulfur bacteria. Arch. Microbiol., 1993, 160, 358-362.
Validation List no. 51 in IJSEM Online - Effective publication Online
Note: The original spelling, Rhodobacter blastica (sic), has been corrected by Euzéby 1997.
Reference: EUZÉBY (J.P.): Revised nomenclature of specific or subspecific epithets that do not agree in gender with generic names that end in -bacter. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1997, 47, 585.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter capsulatus (Molisch 1907) Imhoff et al. 1984, comb. nov. (Type species of the genus.)
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) ATCC 11166= CCUG 31484 = CIP 104408 = DSM 1710 = IFO (now NBRC) 16435 = JCM 21090 = LMG 2962.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: D16428.
Basonym: ¤ Rhodopseudomonas capsulata (Molisch 1907) van Niel 1944 (Approved Lists 1980).
Other synonyms: "Rhodonostoc capsulatum" Molisch 1907, "Rhodopseudomonas capsulatus" (sic) (Molisch) van Niel 1944.
Etymology: L. n. capsula, a small box or chest; L. masc. suff. -atus, suffix denoting provided with; N.L. masc. adj. capsulatus, with a chest, capsuled.
Valid publication: IMHOFF (J.F.), TRÜPER (H.G.) and PFENNIG (N.): Rearrangement of the species and genera of the phototrophic "purple nonsulfur bacteria". Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1984, 34, 340-343.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter changlensis Anil Kumar et al. 2007, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) JA139 = CCUG 53722 = DSM 18774 = JCM 14338.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: AM399030.
Etymology: N.L. masc. adj. changlensis, of or pertaining to Changla Pass, the location from where the type strain was isolated.
Valid publication: ANIL KUMAR (P.), SRINIVAS (T.N.R.), SASIKALA (C.) and RAMANA (C.V.): Rhodobacter changlensis sp. nov., a psychrotolerant, phototrophic alphaproteobacterium from the Himalayas of India. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2007, 57, 2568-2571.
Original article in IJSEM Online
→ ¤ Catellibacterium changlense (Anil Kumar et al. 2007) Zheng et al. 2011, comb. nov.
→ ¤ Gemmobacter changlensis (Anil Kumar et al. 2007) Chen et al. 2013, comb. nov.
Rhodobacter euryhalinus Kompantseva 1989, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) Kompantseva KA-65 = KA-65 = DSM 4868.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: D16426.
Etymology: Gr. adj. eurus, wide, broad; Gr. n. hals halos, salt; L. suff. -inus -a -um, suffix used with the sense of belonging to; N.L. masc. adj. euryhalinus, living in a wide range of salinity.
Valid publication: Validation List no. 29. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1989, 39, 205-206.
Effective publication: KOMPANTSEVA (E.I.): Rhodobacter euryhalinus sp. nov., a new halophilic purple bacterial species. Mikrobiologiya, 1985, 54, 974-982.
Validation List no. 29 in IJSEM Online
→ ¤ Rhodovulum euryhalinum (Kompantseva 1989) Hiraishi and Ueda 1994, comb. nov.
Rhodobacter johrii Girija et al. 2010, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) JA192 = DSM 18678 = JCM 14543 = MTCC 8172.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: AM398152.
Etymology: N.L. masc. gen. n. johrii, of Johri, named after B. N. Johri, an eminent and well-known Indian microbiologist.
Valid publication: GIRIJA (K.R.), SASIKALA (C.), RAMANA (C.V.), SPRÖER (C.), TAKAICHI (S.), THIEL (V.) and IMHOFF (J.F.): Rhodobacter johrii sp. nov., an endospore-producing cryptic species isolated from semi-arid tropical soils. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2010, 60, 2099-2107.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter lacus Suresh et al. 2017, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) JA826=KCTC 15478=LMG 28758.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: LN835251.
Etymology: L. gen. masc. n. lacus, of a lake.
Source: Environmental - freshwater.
Valid publication: SURESH, G., SAILAJA, B., ASHIF, A., DAVE, B. P., SASIKALA, Ch. and RAMANA, Ch. V. 2017. Description of Rhodobacter azollae sp. nov. and Rhodobacter lacus sp. nov. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 67, 3289-3295.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter maris Venkata Ramana et al. 2008, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) JA276 = ATCC BAA-1549 = CCUG 55129 = JCM 14794.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: AM745438.
Etymology: L. gen. n. maris, of the sea, pertaining to the habitat from which the type strain was isolated.
Valid publication: VENKATA RAMANA (V.), SASIKALA (C.) and RAMANA (C.V.): Rhodobacter maris sp. nov., a phototrophic alphaproteobacterium isolated from a marine habitat of India. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2008, 58, 1719-1722.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter massiliensis Greub and Raoult 2006, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) Framboise = CCUG 47968 = CIP 107725.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: DQ342309.
Etymology: L. masc. adj. massiliensis, pertaining to Massilia, the Latin name of Marseille, where the organism was isolated.
Valid publication: Validation List no. 111. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2006, 56, 2025-2027.
Effective publication: GREUB (G.) and RAOULT (D.): Rhodobacter massiliensis sp. nov., a new amoebae-resistant species isolated from the nose of a patient. Res. Microbiol., 2003, 154, 631-635.
Validation List no. 111 in IJSEM Online - Effective publication Online - Effective publication Online
→ ¤ Haematobacter massiliensis (Greub and Raoult 2006) Helsel et al. 2007, comb. nov.
Rhodobacter megalophilus Arunasri et al. 2008, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) JA194 = JCM 14598 = KCTC 5602.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: AM421024.
Etymology: Gr. adj. megas, wide; N.L. adj. philus -a -um (from Gr. adj. philos -ê -on), friend, loving; N.L. masc. adj. megalophilus, wide (temperature)-loving.
Valid publication: ARUNASRI (K.), VENKATA RAMANA (V.), SPRÖER (C.), SASIKALA (C.) and RAMANA (C.V.): Rhodobacter megalophilus sp. nov., a phototroph from the Indian Himalayas possessing a wide temperature range for growth. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2008, 58, 1792-1796.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter ovatus Srinivas et al. 2008, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) JA234 = CCUG 55049 = JCM 14779.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: AM690348.
Etymology: L. masc. adj. ovatus, egg-shaped, ovate.
Valid publication: SRINIVAS (T.N.R.), ANIL KUMAR (P.), SASIKALA (C.), SPRÖER (C.) and RAMANA (C.V.): Rhodobacter ovatus sp. nov., a phototrophic alphaproteobacterium isolated from a polluted pond. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2008, 58, 1379-1383.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter sediminis Subhash and Lee 2016, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) N1=KEMB 563-471=JCM 31175.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: LT009496.
Whole-genome sequence accession no. for the type strain: .
Etymology: L. gen. n. sediminis, of a sediment.
Source: Environmental - marine.
Valid publication: SUBHASH, Y. and LEE, S. S. 2016. Rhodobacter sediminis sp. nov., isolated from lagoon sediments Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 66, 2965-2970.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter sphaeroides (van Niel 1944) Imhoff et al. 1984, comb. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) Van Niel's ATH 2.4.1 = ATCC 17023= CCUG 31486 = CIP 60.6 = DSM 158 = IFO (now NBRC) 12203 = JCM 6121 = LMG 2827.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: X53853.
Basonym: ¤ Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides van Niel 1944 (Approved Lists 1980).
Other synonyms: "Rhodococcus capsulatus" Molisch 1907, "Rhodococcus minor" Molisch 1907, "Rhodosphaera capsulata" (Molisch) Buchanan 1918, "Rhodosphaera minor" (Molisch) Bergey et al. 1923, "Rhodorhagus capsulatus" (sic) (Molisch) Bergey et al. 1925, "Rhodorhagus minor" (sic) (Molisch) Bergey et al. 1925, "Rhodorrhagus capsulatus" Bergey et al. 1939, "Rhodopseudomonas spheroides" (sic) van Niel 1944, "Rhodorrhagus spheroides" (sic) (van Niel) Brisou 1955.
Etymology: L. n. sphaera, sphere, globe; L. suff. -oides (from Gr. suff. -eides, from Gr. n. eidos, that which is seen, form, shape, figure), ressembling, similar; N.L. masc. adj. sphaeroides, spherical.
Valid publication: IMHOFF (J.F.), TRÜPER (H.G.) and PFENNIG (N.): Rearrangement of the species and genera of the phototrophic "purple nonsulfur bacteria". Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1984, 34, 340-343.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter sulfidophilus (Hansen and Veldkamp 1973) Imhoff et al. 1984, comb. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) Hansen W4 = ATCC 35886= DSM 1374 = LMG 5201.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: D16423.
Basonym: ¤ Rhodopseudomonas sulfidophila Hansen and Veldkamp 1973 (Approved Lists 1980).
Etymology: N.L. n. sulfidum, sulfide; N.L. masc. adj. philus (from Gr. masc. adj. philos), friend, loving; N.L. masc. adj. sulfidophilus, sulfide loving.
Valid publication: IMHOFF (J.F.), TRÜPER (H.G.) and PFENNIG (N.): Rearrangement of the species and genera of the phototrophic "purple nonsulfur bacteria". Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1984, 34, 340-343.
Original article in IJSEM Online
→ ¤ Rhodovulum sulfidophilum (Hansen and Veldkamp 1973) Hiraishi and Ueda 1994, comb. nov.
Rhodobacter veldkampii Hansen and Imhoff 1985, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) Hansen 51 = ATCC 35703= CIP 103912 = DSM 11550 = IFO (now NBRC) 16458.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: D16421.
Etymology: N.L. gen. masc. n. veldkampii, of Veldkamp; named for H. Veldkamp, a Dutch microbiologist.
Valid publication: HANSEN (T.A.) and IMHOFF (J.F.): Rhodobacter veldkampii, a new species of phototrophic purple nonsulfur bacteria. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1985, 35, 115-116.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter vinaykumarii Srinivas et al. 2007, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) JA123 = CCUG 54311 = DSM 18714 = JCM 14544.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: AM408117.
Etymology: N.L. masc. gen. n. vinaykumarii, of Vinaykumar, named after the late Dr M. Vinaykumar, an Indian microbiologist and research supervisor of Ch. V. R. and Ch. S, who initiated work on anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria in India.
Valid publication: SRINIVAS (T.N.R.), ANIL KUMAR (P.), SASIKALA (C.), RAMANA (C.V.) and IMHOFF (J.F.): Rhodobacter vinaykumarii sp. nov., a marine phototrophic alphaproteobacterium from tidal waters, and emended description of the genus Rhodobacter. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2007, 57, 1984-1987.
Original article in IJSEM Online
Rhodobacter viridis Shalem Raj et al. 2013, sp. nov.
Type strain: (see also Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) JA737 = KCTC 15167 = MTCC 11105 = NBRC 108864.
Sequence accession no. (16S rRNA gene) for the type strain: HE572577.
Etymology: L. masc. adj. viridis, green, referring to a green bacterium.
Valid publication: SHALEM RAJ (P.), RAMAPRASAD (E.V.V.), VASEEF (S.), SASIKALA (C.) and RAMANA (C.V.): Rhodobacter viridis sp. nov., a phototrophic bacterium isolated from mud of a stream. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2013, 63, 181-186.
Original article in IJSEM Online