The Gram-stain-positive, endospore-forming, rod shaped, strictly aerobic, moderately halophilic bacterium, designated strain H9B, was isolated from the mud sample of hypersaline lake Aran-Bidgol in Iran. Cells of strain H9B were motile and produced colonies with a yellowish gray pigment. Growth occurred between 2.5-10 % (w/v) NaCl and the isolate grew optimally at 7.5 % (v/w) NaCl. The optimum pH and temperature for growth of the strain were pH 7.0 and 35 °C, respectively, while it was able to grow over pH and temperature ranges of 6-10 and 25-45 °C, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain H9B is a member of the genus Oceanobacillus. The closest relative to this strain was Oceanobacillus profundus CL-MP28T with 97.1 % 16S rRNA gene sequences similarity. Level of DNA–DNA relatedness between the novel isolate and this phylogenetically related species was 17%. The major cellular fatty acids of the isolate were anteiso-C15:0, anteiso-C17:0, iso-C15:0 and iso-C16:0. The polar lipid pattern of strain H9B consisted of phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, four phospholipids and an aminolipid. It contained MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone and meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of this strain was 37.1 mol%. Phenotypic characteristics, phylogenetic analysis and DNA–DNA relatedness data suggest that this strain represents a novel species of the genus Oceanobacillus, for which the name Oceanobacillus limi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Oceanobacillus limi is strain H9BT (= IBRC-M 10780 T= KCTC 13823T= CECT 7997).

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