Dehalogenimonas lykanthroporepellens is an anaerobic, Gram-negative bacteria in the phylum Chloroflexota isolated from a Superfund site in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is useful in bioremediation for its ability to reductively dehalogenate chlorinated alkanes. Discovery and description Dehalogenimonas lykanthroporepellens cells are Gram-negative, non-motile, irregular cocci that are 0.3–0.6 μm in diameter. There is no evidence of pathogenicity. They are mesophiles that can grow in a temperature range of 20–34 °C with their optimum temperature range being 28–34 °C. They grow best in pH 7-7.5 (pH range 6–8, although it was isolated from groundwater of pH 5.1). Growth has been observed in salt concentrations from 0.1–2% NaCl with optimum growth at ≤1%. GC-content reported in characterization of D. lykanthroporellens is 53.8% as determined by HPLC; however, as determined by genomic analysis, the GC-content is 55.04%. D. lyankanthroporepellens does not form spores. Resistance to the antibiotics ampicillin and vancomycin has been observed. D. lykanthroporepellens is strictly anaerobic and uses hydrogen as an electron donor. It has been cultured in an anaerobic basal medium at 30 °C in the dark. It is able to reductively dehalogenate aliphatic alkanes (non-aromatic alkanes) such as 1,2,3-trichloropropane (reduces it to allyl chloride which abiotically transforms in the presence of water to allyl alcohol). Two strains (BL-DC-9T and BL-DC-8) were isolated from a Superfund site in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 2009 by Moe, Yan, Nobre, Costa, and Rainey—researchers at Louisiana State University and the University of Coimbra (Coimbra, Portugal). A Superfund site is an abandoned site that contains hazardous waste. This site was contaminated with chlorinated solvents. The genus name Dehalogenimonas reflects its ability to dehalogenate chlorinated alkanes. The species name lykanthroporepellens comes from lykanthropos meaning werewolf and re-pellens meaning repelling. The species name refers to the garlic smell of the bacteria when cultured. Some folklore states that garlic can be used to repel creatures like werewolves and vampires. Phylogeny There are six classes within the phylum Chloroflexota: Chloroflexia, Anaerolinea, Caldilinea, Dehalococcoidia (previously known informally as Dehalococcoidetes), Ktedonobacteria, and Thermomicrobia. D. lykanthroporepellens is in the class Dehalococcoidia. Chloroflexota consists of the green non-sulfur bacteria which are anoxygenic phototrophs (do not produce oxygen during photosynthesis) that use either H2 or H2S as an electron donor. However D. lykanthroporepellens uses polychlorinated aliphatic alkanes as the electron acceptor. Chloroflexota are the deepest branching (oldest) anoxygenic phototrophs on the tree of life. Many of the species in Chloroflexota are thermophilic however Dehalogenimonas lykanthroporepellens