A Gram-positive, non-motile, cream-coloured, curved or straight rod-shaped bacterial strain, DS-10(T), was isolated from soil of Dokdo, Korea, and its taxonomic position was investigated by using a polyphasic approach. Strain DS-10(T) grew optimally at 25 degrees C and pH 7.0-8.0 in the presence of 0.5-1.0 % (w/v) NaCl. Strain DS-10(T) had peptidoglycan type B2gamma [d-Glu-d-Dab (diaminobutyric acid)] and galactose and ribose as whole-cell sugars. Strain DS-10(T) contained MK-11, MK-12 and MK-10 as predominant menaquinones. Major cellular fatty acids (>10 % of total) were anteiso-C(15 : 0), anteiso-C(17 : 0), iso-C(16 : 0) and iso-C(15 : 0). Major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified glycolipid. The DNA G+C content was 71.1 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain DS-10(T) belonged to the genus Agromyces. Similarity values between the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain DS-10(T) and those of the type strains of recognized Agromyces species ranged from 95.8 to 99.3 %. DNA-DNA relatedness data and differential phenotypic properties, together with the phylogenetic distinctiveness, demonstrated that strain DS-10(T) could be differentiated from recognized Agromyces species. On the basis of the data presented, strain DS-10(T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Agromyces, for which the name Agromyces terreus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DS-10(T) (=KCTC 19216(T) =JCM 14581(T)).