A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, yellow, non-motile, rod-shaped and alginate-degrading bacterium, designated Dm15T, was isolated from marine alga collected in Weihai, PR China. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain Dm15T represents a distinct line of the family
Flavobacteriaceae
. Strain Dm15T had the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to its closest phylogenetic neighbour
Arcticiflavibacter luteus
(96.7 %) and 93.7–96.4 % sequence similarity to other phylogenetic neighbours (
Bizionia paragorgiae
,
Winogradskyella thalassocola
,
Ichthyenterobacterium magnum
,
Psychroserpens burtonensis
and
Arcticiflavibacter luteus
) in the family
Flavobacteriaceae
. The novel isolate was able to grow at 10–40 °C (optimum, 30–33 °C), pH 7.0–9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0–7.5) and with 0.5–6.0 % NaCl (optimum 2.0–3.0 %, w/v). It could grow at 40 °C, and degrade alginate and cellulose, which were different from the neighbour genera. The draft genome consisted of 3395 genes with a total length of 3 798 431 bp and 34.1mol% G+C content. Especially, there were some specific genes coding for cellulase and alginate lyase, which provided a basis for the above phenotypic characteristics. The strain's genome sequence showed 71.1–80.2 % average amino acid identity values and 71.8–77.7 % average nucleotide identity values compared to the type strains of related genera within the family
Flavobacteriaceae
. It shared digital DNA–DNA hybridization identity of 19.8 and 20.9 % with
I. magnum
and
A. luteus
, respectively. The sole menaquinone was MK-6. The major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C15 : 1 G. The polar lipids included six unidentified polar lipids, four unidentified aminolipids and phosphatidylethanolamine. Based on the results of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses, strain Dm15T represents a novel species of a new genus in the family
Flavobacteriaceae
, phylum
Bacteroidetes
, for which the name Flavihalobacter algicola gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Dm15T (KCTC 42256T=CICC 23815T).