A Gram-stain-positive, ovoid to short rod-shaped, yellow-pigmented bacterium, designated strain DY66(T), was isolated from tidal-flat sediment collected from Deukryang Bay (Republic of Korea), and its taxonomic position was investigated by using a polyphasic approach. Strain DY66(T) grew optimally at 30 °C and pH 8-9 and in 2 % (w/v) NaCl. The peptidoglycan type was A4α, L-Lys-L-Ala-D-Glu, and tyvelose and glucose were the major cell-wall sugars. The predominant menaquinones were MK-10 and MK-9. Major cellular fatty acids (>10 % of total) were anteiso-C(15 : 0) and iso-C(15 : 0). The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, an unknown aminophospholipid and three unknown aminolipids. The DNA G+C content was 59.1 mol%. This chemotaxonomic profile supported the assignment of strain DY66(T) to the genus Zhihengliuella. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences also indicated that strain DY66(T) belonged to the family Micrococcaceae and was related to the genus Zhihengliuella. On the basis of the evidence presented in this study, strain DY66(T) represents a novel species of the genus Zhihengliuella, for which the name Zhihengliuella aestuarii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is strain DY66(T) ( = KCTC 19557(T) = JCM 16364(T)).