Zoogloea ramigera: A phylogenetically diverse species

Abstract Comparative sequence analysis of in vitro amplified 16S rRNA genes from three strains of Zoogloea ramigera demonstrated that they are phylogenetically quite diverse. Based on the 16S rRNA studies and on chemotaxonomic data from the literature it is now evident that Z. ramigera strain I‐16‐M (ATCC 19623, WS 1610), the former type strain, belongs to the alpha subclass of Proteobacteria, whereas the two other strains, ATCC 19544^T (neotype strain) and ATCC 25935, are members of the beta subclass. Therefore, Z. ramigera strain I‐16‐M (ATCC 19623) has to be excluded from the genus Zoogloea since it does not belong to the same proteobacterial subclass as the type strain of the species Z. ramigera. Differences in their 16S rRNA sequences, in phenotypic and chemotaxonomic properties indicate that Z. ramigera strains ATCC 19544 and ATCC 25935 should be placed in different species.