Marmoricola aurantiacus gen. nov., sp. nov., a coccoid member of the family Nocardioidaceae isolated from a marble statue.

A Gram-positive, aerobic bacterium with coccoid cells occurring singly, in pairs and in clusters was isolated from the surface of a marble statue. The peptidoglycan contain LL-diaminopimelic acid as diagnostic diamino acid and a single glycine residue as interpeptide bridge (type A3 gamma). The major menaquinone is MK-8(H4). The cellular fatty acid pattern consists of straight chain saturated and monounsaturated components and 10-methyl octadecanoic (tuberculostearic) acid as the only branched chain fatty acid. Phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol occur as characteristic polar lipids. The DNA G + C composition is 72 mol%. According to its phylogenetic position and 16S rDNA signature nucleotides, the organism is a member of the family Nocardioidaceae. The combination of chemotaxonomic characteristics is unique within this family and supports the description of a new genus and new species, Marmoricola aurantiacus. The type strain is strain BC 361T (= DSM 12652T).