Strain IK-1(T) was isolated from decaying tissues of the shrub Wikstroemia oahuensis collected on O'ahu, Hawai'i. Cells were rods that stained Gram-negative. Gliding motility was not observed. The strain was oxidase-negative and catalase-positive. Zeaxanthin was the major carotenoid. Flexirubin-type pigments were not detected. The most abundant fatty acids in whole cells of IK-1(T) grown on R2A were iso-C(15:0) and one or both of C(16:1)ω7c and C(16:1)ω6c. Based on comparisons of the nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA gene, the closest neighbouring type strains were Flavobacterium rivuli WB 3.3-2(T) and Flavobacterium subsaxonicum WB 4.1-42(T), with which IK-1(T) shares 93.84 and 93.67% identity, respectively. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 44.2 mol%. On the basis of distance from its nearest phylogenetic neighbours and phenotypic differences, the species Flavobacterium akiainvivens sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate strain IK-1(T) ( =ATCC BAA-2412(T) =CIP 110358(T)) as the type strain. The description of the genus Flavobacterium is emended to reflect the DNA G+C contents of Flavobacterium akiainvivens IK-1(T) and other species of the genus Flavobacterium described since the original description of the genus.