A Gram-positive, aerobic actinomycete, designated strain YIM 45725(T), was isolated from a forest soil sample in Yunnan Province, China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the isolate was a member of the family Nocardioidaceae and was related most closely to Actinopolymorpha singaporensis IM 7744(T) (99.4 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). Chemotaxonomic data, including cell-wall components, menaquinones and polar lipids, supported the affiliation of strain YIM 45725(T) to the genus Actinopolymorpha. The results of physiological and biochemical investigations and DNA-DNA hybridization experiments demonstrated that strain YIM 45725(T) differed from the single recognized species of the genus Actinopolymorpha. Strain YIM 45725(T) is therefore considered to represent a novel species of the genus Actinopolymorpha, for which the name Actinopolymorpha rutila sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 45725(T) (=CCTCC AA 206004(T)=DSM 18448(T)).