Strain JC669 T was isolated from a oating island of Loktak lake, Manipur, India and shared highest 16S rRNA gene sequence identity with Aquisphaera giovannonii OJF2 T . The strain is an aerobe, Gram-stainnegative, yellowish orange coloured, non-motile, NaCl intolerant, spherical to oval shaped, grows in single or aggregates and produce structures which appear like fruiting bodies. Strain JC669 T grows well up to pH 9.0, has MK6 as respiratory quinone, C 18:1 ω9c, C 16:0 and C 18:0 as major fatty acids and phosphatidylcholine, an unidenti ed amino lipid, an unidenti ed choline lipid (UCL) and six unidenti ed lipids (UL1,2,3,4,5,6) as polar lipids. The genome size of strain JC669 T is 10.04 Mbp and genomic G+C content of 68.5 mol%. Based on phylogenetic, polyphasic including genomic analyses support strain JC669 T as a novel species of the genus Aquisphaera, for which we propose the name Aquisphaera insulae sp. nov. Type strain is JC669 T ( =KCTC 72672 T = NBRC 114306 T ).

Sphingobium fuliginis , a soil-dwelling microbe isolated from agricultural soils, was shown to degrade a variety of insecticides and pesticides. These synthetic chemicals function as potent neurotoxins, and they belong to a class of chemicals termed organophosphates. S. fuliginis codes for OPH, an enzyme that has been shown to be involved in the metabolism of several organophosphates and their derivatives.

Strain JC669T was isolated from a floating island of Loktak lake, Manipur, India and shared highest 16S rRNA gene sequence identity with Aquisphaera giovannonii OJF2T. The strain is an aerobe, Gram-stain-negative, yellowish orange coloured, non-motile, NaCl intolerant, spherical to oval shaped, grows in single or aggregates and produce structures which appear like fruiting bodies. Strain JC669T grows well up to pH 9.0, has MK6 as respiratory quinone, C18:1ω9c, C16:0 and C18:0 as major fatty acids and phosphatidylcholine, an unidentified amino lipid, an unidentified choline lipid (UCL) and six unidentified lipids (UL1,2,3,4,5,6) as polar lipids. The genome size of strain JC669T is 10.04 Mbp and genomic G+C content of 68.5 mol%. Based on phylogenetic, polyphasic including genomic analyses support strain JC669T as a novel species of the genus Aquisphaera, for which we propose the name Aquisphaera insulae sp. nov. Type strain is JC669T ( =KCTC 72672T = NBRC 114306T).