The type strains of the species Chryseobacterium arothri (DSM 19326(T)) and Chryseobacterium hominis (NF802(T)) were compared in order to clarify the taxonomic relationship of the two species. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the two strains shared 99.9 % identity. DNA-DNA pairing studies between the two strains showed 100 % (reciprocal, 76.0 %) relatedness. Phenotypic data, including fatty acid patterns and substrate utilization profiles, showed no pronounced differences between the type strains of the two species. On the basis of these results, we propose the reclassification of Chryseobacterium arothri Campbell et al. 2008 as a later heterotypic synonym of Chryseobacterium hominis Vaneechoutte et al. 2007.