A novel, Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated R9-86 T , was isolated from tundra soil collected near Ny-Å lesund, Svalbard Archipelago, Norway (786 N). Growth occurred at 4-28 6C (optimum, 22-25 6C) and at pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0). Flexirubin-type pigments were absent. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain R9-86 T belonged to the genus Terrimonas in the family Chitinophagaceae. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities between strain R9-86 T and the type strains of species of the genus Terrimonas with validly published names ranged from 93.7 to 95.0 %. Strain R9-86 T contained iso-C 15 : 1 -G (25.7 %), iso-C 15 : 0 (24.5 %), iso-C 17 : 0 -3OH (18.3 %) and summed feature 3 (C 16 : 1 v7c and/or C 16 : 1 v6c, 8.7 %) as its major cellular fatty acids; phosphatidylethanolamine and an unknown polar lipid as its main polar lipids, and MK-7 as its predominant respiratory quinone. The DNA G+C content was 48.4 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data, strain R9-86 T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Terrimonas, for which the name Terrimonas arctica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is R9-86 T (5CCTCC AB 2011004 T 5NRRL B-59114 T ).