Massilia dura sp. nov., Massilia albidiflava sp. nov., Massilia plicata sp. nov. and Massilia lutea sp. nov., isolated from soils in China.

Four Gram-negative, motile, rod-shaped bacterial strains were isolated from soil samples collected from south-east China. A taxonomic study including phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and phenotypic characteristics was performed. DNA G+C contents of the four strains were 63–66 mol%. Their predominant ubiquinone was Q-8. The fatty acid profiles contained C16 : 1 ω7c (36·9–54·7 %) and C16 : 0 (22·8–25·5 %) as the major components. Based on their phenotypic characteristics, phylogenetic position as determined by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and DNA–DNA hybridization results, the four isolates are considered to represent four novel species of the genus Massilia, for which the names Massilia dura sp. nov. (type strain 16T=CCTCC AB 204070T=KCTC 12342T), Massilia albidiflava sp. nov. (type strain 45T=CCTCC AB 204071T=KCTC 12343T), Massilia plicata sp. nov. (type strain 76T=CCTCC AB 204072T=KCTC 12344T) and Massilia lutea sp. nov. (type strain 101T=CCTCC AB 204073T=KCTC 12345T) are proposed.