Bengtsoniella intestinalis (in.tes.ti.na’lis. N.L. fem. adj. intestinalis, of the intestines). Cells are rods ~3 µm long and 1 µm wide growing mainly as single cells. The optimum NaCl concentration required for growth is 1% (w/v). Negative for catalase, aesculin, indole production, nitrate reduction, urease reaction and gelatin hydrolysis. There is a positive reaction for arginine dihydrolase and glutamic acid decarboxylase but not for α˗galactosidase, 6-phospho-β-galactosidase, β˗galactosidase, arginine arylamidase, histidine arylamidase, α˗glucosidase, β˗glucosidase, α˗arabinosidase, β˗glucuronidase, N˗acetyl˗β˗glucosaminidase, α˗fucosidase, alkaline phosphatase, proline, leucyl glycine, phenylalanine, leucine, pyroglutamic acid, tyrosine, alanine, glycine, glutamyl glutamic acid or serine. The cells grew well on Medium 27. Growth occurs in the temperature range of 20–28 °C (optimum 28 °C), at a pH range of 7.1–8.5 (optimum 8.5). The major fermentation products produced during growth in Medium 27 were formate and butyrate. Cells grow only under reducing conditions in the absence of oxygen. The major cellular fatty acids present (at >10% of the total) were C12:0, C13:0, iso-C14:0, C16:0 and C16:1cis 7.

Strains were isolated from the fermentative hindgut contents of the herbivorous marine fish K. sydneyanus

The type strain is strain BP47GT (=ICMP 24688=JCM 35770) isolated at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand