A Gram-negative, rod-shaped Flavobacterium-like bacterial strain, DS-6T, was isolated from soil from the island of Dokdo, Korea, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Strain DS-6T grew optimally at pH 7.0 and 25 degrees C in the presence of 0-0.5 % (w/v) NaCl. It contained MK-6 as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C15:0 and iso-C17:0 3-OH as the major fatty acids. The DNA G+C content was 36.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain DS-6T belonged to the genus Flavobacterium. Levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain DS-6T and the type strains of Flavobacterium species were below 95.4 %. Strain DS-6T differed from some phylogenetically related Flavobacterium species in several phenotypic characteristics. On the basis of phenotypic and phylogenetic distinctiveness, DS-6T (=KCTC 12542T=CIP 108840T) was classified in the genus Flavobacterium as the type strain of a novel species, for which the name Flavobacterium soli sp. nov. is proposed.