The Genus Novosphingobium (Sphingomonas) was first described by Yabuuchi et al. (1990) and later amended by Takeuchi et al. (1993). Members of this genus belong to the alpha Proteobacterial subdivision and are characterized as gram-negative, non-spore forming rods displaying a single polar flagellum when they are motile. They are yellow pigmented and obligately aerobic. Unlike typical gram-negative bacteria, they do not have lipopolysaccharide, but rather glycosphingolipid, which is usually a membrane component of eukaryotic cells