Abstract
Three strains of prosthecate, budding bacteria, MHS-2(T), MHS-3(T) and VP6(T), were isolated from marine habitats including the open ocean (the pelagic zone), the offshore region (the neritic zone) and the hydrothermal vent region. A polyphasic approach including 16S rDNA sequencing, phenotypic analyses, serology, fatty acid analyses, membrane protein profiles and DNA--DNA hybridizations was used to place these strains in the genus Hyphomonas, a taxon of the alpha-Proteobacteria. The results of these analyses also showed that strains MHS-3(T), MHS-2(T) and VP6(T) each represent a new species of Hyphomonas. The names Hyphomonas adhaerens (type strain MHS-3(T), ATCC 43965(T)), Hyphomonas johnsonii (type strain MHS-2(T), ATCC 43964(T)) and Hyphomonas rosenbergii (type strain VP6(T), ATCC 43869(T)) are proposed for the new species. With these additions, Hyphomonas now contains eight species.