A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and coccoid bacterial strain, designated XHP0099T, was isolated from coastal water of the Yellow Sea, China. Growth occurred at 20–37°C (optimum, 28°C), pH 5.0–9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0–8.0), and with 0–7.0% NaCl (optimum, 2.0–3.0%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain XHP0099T was related to members of the genus Paracoccus and shared highest sequence similarity with P. siganidrum M26T (98.2%), followed by P. alkanivorans 4-2T (97.6%) and P. alkenifer DSM 11593T (97.4%). The major cellular fatty acids (>10%) were summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω7c/C18:1 ω6c), and C18:0. The major isoprenoid quinone was Q-10 and the polar lipids contained diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylcholine (PC), aminolipid (AL) and unidentified polar lipid (L). The average nucleotide identity values between strain XHP0099T and P. siganidrum M26T, P. alkanivorans 4-2T, P. alkenifer DSM 11593T and P. saliphilus DSM 18447T were 81.41%, 80.13%, 75.77% and 78.27%, respectively. The digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain XHP0099T with P. siganidrum M26T, P. alkanivorans 4-2T, P. alkenifer DSM 11593T and P. saliphilus DSM 18447T were 24.10%, 23.00%, 20.80 % and 21.20%, respectively. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain XHP0099T was 66.0%. Based on the phenotypic, phylogenetic, biochemical and chemotaxonomic analysis, strain XHP0099T represents a novel species of the genus Paracoccus, for which the name Paracoccus marinaquae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is XHP0099T (=JCM 34661T=GDMCC 1.2414T=MCCC 1K05846T).