A halophilic archaeon, strain RO1-6(T), was isolated from a marine solar saltern in eastern China. Cells of strain RO1-6(T) were pleomorphic and motile and stained Gram-negative. Strain RO1-6(T) grew well on complex medium and colonies were red-pigmented. It was able to grow at 20-50°C (optimum 37°C), in 2.1-5.1M NaCl (optimum 3.9 M NaCl), in 0.05-0.70 M MgCl₂ (optimum 0.30 M MgCl₂) and at pH 6.5-8.0 (optimum pH 7.0). Cells lysed in distilled water and the minimal NaCl concentration to prevent cell lysis was 12 % (w/v). The major polar lipids of strain RO1-6(T) were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester and two glycolipids that were chromatographically identical to S-DGD-1 and S₂-DGD. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain RO1-6(T) showed similarities of 96.9 and 96.4 % to those of the type strains of Halosarcina pallida and Halogeometricum borinquense, respectively, members of the most closely related recognized genera within the family Halobacteriaceae. The DNA G+C content of strain RO1-6(T) was 61.2 mol%. Phenotypic characterization and phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain RO1-6(T) is related to Halosarcina pallida and represents a novel species of the genus Halosarcina, for which the name Halosarcina limi sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is RO1-6(T) (=CGMCC 1.8711(T) =JCM 16054(T)).