A novel aerobic, non-motile, Gram-negative bacterium, designated AS06/20a(T), was isolated from coastal waters of the Adriatic Sea and subjected to polyphasic taxonomic analysis. Cells were rod-shaped and formed non-pigmented punctiform colonies on agar plates. The novel isolate grew heterotrophically on a variety of carbon compounds, including organic acids, carbohydrates, polyols, amino acids and complex organic substrates. Cells grew at 15-33 degrees C (optimum 30 degrees C), pH 6.5-8.5 (optimum pH 7.5-8.0) and between 2 and 6 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 2 %). The dominant fatty acids (>5 %) detected in strain AS06/20a(T) were iso-C(15 : 1) G, iso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(15 : 0) 3-OH, iso-C(17 : 1)omega9c and iso-C(17 : 0) 3-OH. The major respiratory quinone was MK-6. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 38.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain AS06/20a(T) fell within the family Flavobacteriaceae in the phylum Bacteroidetes. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain AS06/20a(T) was most closely related to members of the genera Zeaxanthinibacter and Robiginitalea, sharing 92-93 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with representatives of these genera. It is proposed, from the results of the polyphasic taxonomic analysis, that the strain should be placed in a new genus, Eudoraea gen. nov., with Eudoraea adriatica sp. nov. as the type species. The type strain is AS06/20a(T) (=DSM 19308(T)=CIP 109577(T)=OOB 358(T)).