A novel aerobic, Gram-negative bacterium, designated strain CM41_15a(T), was isolated from the surface of coastal waters of the north-western Mediterranean Sea. Cells were non-motile straight rods that formed red colonies on marine agar medium. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 65 mol %. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence placed the strain in the genus Haliea within the class Gammaproteobacteria. On the basis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison and physiological and biochemical characteristics, strain CM41_15a(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Haliea rubra sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CM41_15a(T) (=DSM 19751(T)=CIP 109758(T)=MOLA 104(T)).