Listeria goaensis sp. nov.

Two Listeria -like isolates obtained from mangrove swamps in Goa, India were characterized using polyphasic combinations of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and whole-genome sequence (WGS)-based approaches. The isolates presented as short, non-spore-forming, Gram-positive rods, that were non-motile, oxidase-negative, catalase-positive and exhibited α-haemolysis on 5 % sheep- and horse-blood agar plates. The 16S rRNA gene sequences exhibited 93.7–99.7 % nucleotide identity to other Listeria species and had less than 92 % nucleotide identity to species of closely related genera, indicating that the isolates are de facto members of the genus Listeria . Their overall fatty acid composition resembled that of other Listeria species, with quantitative differences in iso C15 : 0, anteiso C15 : 0, iso C16 : 0, C16 : 0, iso C17 : 0 and anteiso C17 : 0 fatty acid profiles. Phylogeny based on 406 core coding DNA sequences grouped these two isolates in a monophyletic clade within the genus Listeria . WGS-based average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA–DNA hybridization values were lower than the recommended cut-off values of 95 and 70 %, respectively, to the other Listeria species, indicating that they are founding members of a novel Listeria species. We suggest the name Listeria goaensis sp. nov. be created and the type strain is ILCC801T (=KCTC 33909;=DSM 29886;=MCC 3285).