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A novel Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, heterotrophic, stalked and capsulated bacterium with potential denitrification ability, designated strain TAR-002T, was isolated from deep seafloor sediment in Japan. Colonies lacked lustre, and were viscous and translucent white. The ranges of temperature, pH and salt concentration for growth were 8–30 6C, pH 6.0–10.0 and 1–3 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences confirmed that strain TAR-002T belongs to the genus Brevundimonas of the class Alphaproteobacteria. Levels of similarity between the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain TAR-002T and those of the type strains of species of the genus Brevundimonas were 93.5–98.9%; the most closely related species was Brevundimonas basaltis. In DNA–DNA hybridization assays between strain TAR-002T and its phylogenetic neighbours, Brevundimonas lenta DS-18T, B. basaltis J22T, Brevundimonas subvibrioides ATCC 15264T and Brevundimonas alba DSM 4736T, mean hybridization levels were 6.4–27.7%. The G+C content of strain TAR-002T was 70.3 mol%. Q-10 was the major respiratory isoprenoid quinone. The major fatty acids were C18: 1v7c and C16: 0, and the presence of 1,2-di-O-acyl-3-O-[D-glucopyranosyl-(1A4)-a-D-glucopyranuronosyl]glycerol (DGL) indicates the affiliation of strain TAR-002T with the genus Brevundimonas. On the basis o