Strain UY79T was isolated from a root nodule of Arachis villosa, collected at the Esteros de Farrapos National Park, Río Negro, Uruguay. Cells were non-motile Gram-variable rods with central to subterminal oval to ellipsoidal endospores that swell the sporangia. Growth was observed in the range of 15–42 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 5.0–9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0–8.0) and with up to 3 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1–2 %). Strain UY79T was facultative anaerobic, catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. According to the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, UY79T belongs to the genus
Paenibacillus
and is closely related to
P. ottowii
MS2379T,
P. peoriae
BD-57T,
P. polymyxa
ATCC 842T and
P. brasilensis
PB172T, exhibiting 99.4, 99.0, 99.0 and 98.9% sequence identity, respectively. Average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values with the most closely related type strains were 74.3–88.6% and 38.2–48.7 %, respectively. Major fatty acids (>10 %) were anteiso-C15:0, iso-C15:0, and C16 : 0. Menaquinones MK-7 and MK-6 were the only isoprenoid quinones detected. Major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and an unidentified glycolipid. Spermidine was the predominant polyamine. The DNA G+C content based on the draft genome sequence was 46.34 mol%. Based on the current polyphasic study, UY79T represents a novel species of the genus
Paenibacillus
, for which the name Paenibacillus farraposensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is UY79T (=CCM 9147T=CGMCC 1.19038T).