A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, non-spore-forming bacterium, strain 0511ARD5E5T, was isolated from an air sample collected in Ardales Cave (Malaga, Spain). Strain 0511ARD5E5T grew at 4-37 °C and in the presence of 0-4 % (w/v) NaCl [optimally at 25 °C and with 1 % (w/v) NaCl]. Cells were catalase- and oxidase-positive. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10. The predominant fatty acids were C18:1ω7c and C16:0. The DNA G+C content was 63.2 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain 0511ARD5E5T was a member of the genus Paracoccus and was related most closely to Paracoccus aminophilus DSM 8538T and Paracoccus marinus CIP 108500T (96.93 and 96.92 % similarity, respectively). Strain 0511ARD5E5T exhibited DNA-DNA relatedness of 47 % to P. aminophilus DSM 8538T and 31 % to P. marinus CIP 108500T. Chemotaxonomic, phenotypic and phylogenetic analyses indicated that strain 0511ARD5E5T represents a novel species of the genus Paracoccus, for which the name Paracoccus cavernae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 0511ARD5E5T (=LMG 27962T=CECT 8482T).