A novel marine bacterium, strain JCS350(T), was isolated from marine sediment samples collected from a cold-seep area. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of the isolate showed high similarity to that of Erythrobacter luteolus SW-109(T) (95.9 % sequence similarity). Lower 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities were shown to other members of the genus Erythrobacter (94.6-95.4 %) and members of the genus Porphyrobacter (94.5-95.2 %). Phylogenetic analysis with all members of the family Erythrobacteraceae and several members of the family Sphingomonadaceae revealed that the isolate formed a phyletic line with [Erythrobacter] luteolus that was distinct from other members of the family Erythrobacteraceae. The dominant fatty acids of strain JCS350(T) were 18 : 1omega7c, 16 : 1omega7c and cyclopropane 17 : 0. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone 10. The DNA G+C content was 54.5 mol%. The isolate did not contain bacteriochlorophyll a. Optimal growth required the presence of 2 % (w/v) NaCl with either 0.18 % CaCl(2) or 0.59 % MgCl(2), at pH 6.5 and at 35 degrees C. On the basis of the evidence of this polyphasic taxonomic study, strain JCS350(T) should be classified in a novel genus and species in the family Erythrobacteraceae, for which the name Altererythrobacter epoxidivorans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The misclassified species [Erythrobacter] luteolus is transferred to the new genus as Altererythrobacter luteolus comb. nov. The type strain of Altererythrobacter epoxidivorans is JCS350(T) (=KCCM 42314(T) =JCM 13815(T)) and the type strain of Altererythrobacter luteolus is SW-109(T) (=KCTC 12311(T) =JCM 12599(T)).