A novel mesophilic sulfate-reducing bacterium, EMSSDQ 4 T , was isolated from olive mill wastewater in the semi-arid region of Morocco (Marrakech). Cells were Gram-negative, catalasepositive, straight rods that were non-motile and non-spore-forming and contained cytochrome c 3 and desulfoviridin. The DNA G+C content was 65.1 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the isolate was a member of the genus Desulfovibrio with Desulfovibrio carbinoliphilus D41 T , Desulfovibrio alcoholivorans SPSN T , Desulfovibrio fructosivorans JJ T and Desulfovibrio carbinolicus EDK82 T as the most closely related strains with validly published names. In addition to the classical substrates used by Desulfovibrio species, the isolate oxidized 1,4-tyrosol, one of the most abundant phenolic compounds occurring in olive mill wastewater, to 4-hydroxyphenylacetate without ring cleavage. D. alcoholivorans SPSN T was also found to carry out this reaction. Under air, strain EMSSDQ 4 T exhibited limited growth on lactate and yeast extract in the absence of sulfate. On the basis of genotypic and phenotypic characteristics, it is proposed that the isolate represents a novel species, Desulfovibrio marrakechensis sp. nov. The type strain is EMSSDQ 4 T (5DSM 19337 T 5ATCC BAA-1562 T ).