Further Studies of the Genus Methylobacterium and Description of Methylobacterium aminovorans sp. nov.

Pink-pigmented facultatively methylotrophs belonging to the genus Methylobacterium were examined in this study. Methylobacterium strains are divided into eight species on the basis of phenotypic characteristics. This division is supported by the results of DNA-DNA homology experiments. On the basis of DNA relatedness and other characteristics, a new species, Methylobacterium aminovorans, is proposed. The type strain of M. aminovorans is strain TH-15 (= JCM 8240).