A mesophilic, chemoheterotrophic bacterium, strain Fu11-5T, was isolated from tidal-flat sediment from Tokyo Bay, Chiba, Japan. Cells of strain Fu11-5T were facultatively aerobic, Gram-negative, non-sporulating, non-motile and rod-shaped (1.9–6.9 µm long). Strain Fu11-5T grew optimally at 35–37 °C and pH 6.5–7.0 and with 1–2 % (w/v) NaCl. Oxygen and l-cysteine were used as an alternative electron acceptor and donor, respectively. Strain Fu11-5T also grew fermentatively on some pentoses, hexoses and disaccharides and soluble starch. Succinic acid was the major end product from d-glucose. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain Fu11-5T was affiliated with the order
Bacteroidales
, and its nearest neighbours were members of the genera
Meniscus
,
Prolixibacter
,
Sunxiuqinia
,
Mangrovibacterium
and
Draconibacterium,
with 87–91 % sequence similarity. Cell morphology, optimum growth temperature and utilization of sugars of strain Fu11-5T distinguished the strain from phylogenetically related bacteria. On the basis of its phenotypic features and phylogenetic position, a novel genus and species are proposed to accommodate strain Fu11-5T, with the name Mariniphaga anaerophila gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain of Mariniphaga anaerophila is strain Fu11-5T ( = JCM 18693T = NBRC 109408T = DSM 26910T). We also propose to combine the family
Draconibacteriaceae
into the family
Prolixibacteraceae
as a later heterotypic synonym and to place the distinct sublineage of the genus
Marinifilum
in the family Marinifilaceae fam. nov.