A novel Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, heterotrophic, stalked and capsulated bacterium with potential denitrification ability, designated strain TAR-002 T , 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-002 T belongs to the genus Brevundimonas of the class Alphaproteobacteria. Levels of similarity between the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain TAR-002 T 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-002 T and its phylogenetic neighbours, Brevundimonas lenta DS-18 T , B. basaltis J22 T , Brevundimonas subvibrioides ATCC 15264 T and Brevundimonas alba DSM 4736 T , mean hybridization levels were 6.4-27.7 %. The G+C content of strain TAR-002 T was 70.3 mol%. Q-10 was the major respiratory isoprenoid quinone. The major fatty acids were C 18 : 1 v7c and C 16 : 0 , and the presence of 1,indicates the affiliation of strain TAR-002 T with the genus Brevundimonas. On the basis of biological characteristics and 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons, strain TAR-002 T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Brevundimonas, for which the name Brevundimonas denitrificans sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is TAR-002 T (5NBRC 110107 T 5CECT 8537 T ).