A novel aerobic, Gram-negative bacterium, named 13IX/A01/164(T), was isolated from surface waters in the coastal north-western Mediterranean Sea. Cells were motile, straight rods, 2-5 mu m long and 0-2 mu m wide, and formed orange colonies on marine agar medium. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain 13IX/A01/164T was 42 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence placed the strain in the phylum Bacteroidetes within the family Crenotrichaceae. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison and physiological and biochemical characteristics, this isolate represents a novel species of a new genus, for which the name Balneola vulgaris gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Balneola vulgaris is 13IX/A01/164T (=DSM 17893T=CIP 109092(T)= OOB 256(T)).