Two strains of Gram-variable, rod-shaped, endospore-forming, peritrichously flagellated, rod-shaped bacteria were isolated from a soil sample collected in Taejon City, Korea. The two strains (AM49T and AM141T) were found to be members of the genus Paenibacillus, on the basis of the results of phenotypic and phylogenetic analyses. Strains AM49T and AM141T were found to have a cell-wall peptidoglycan based on meso-diaminopimelic acid, MK-7 as their predominant menaquinone and anteiso-C15:0 as their major fatty acid. The DNA G + C contents of strains AM49T and AM141T were 48 and 47 mol%, respectively. The two strains formed distinct phylogenetic lineages within the radiation of the cluster comprising Paenibacillus spp. and a coherent cluster with Paenibacillus jamilae, Paenibacillus polymyxa, Paenibacillus azotofixans and Paenibacillus peoriae. The level of 16S rDNA similarity between strains AM49T and AM141T was 97.6%, and 16S rDNA similarity values between strains AM49T and AM141T and the type strains of other Paenibacillus spp. ranged from 90.3 to 98.7%. Levels of DNA-DNA similarity between the two strains and members of the genus Paenibacillus indicated that strains AM49T and AM141T were distinguishable from each other and from four phylogenetically related Paenibacillus spp. Therefore, on the basis of their phenotypic properties, phylogeny and genomic distinctiveness, it is proposed that strains AM49T and AM141T be placed in the genus Paenibacillus as two distinct novel species, Paenibacillus kribbensis (AM49T =KCTC 0766BPT =JCM 11465T) and Paenibacillus terrae (AM141T =KCCM 41557T =JCM 11466T).