A Gram-stain negative, rod-shaped, non-motile, non-spore-forming and aerobic bacterial strain, designated HL-25(T), was isolated and characterized in a taxonomic study using a polyphasic approach. Comparative analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the isolate constituted a distinct branch within the genus Sphingobium, showing the highest level of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Sphingobium vulgare HU1-GD12(T) (96.6 %). The major fatty acids (>10%) of strain HL-25(T) were C(18:1)�s7c, C(16:0), summed feature 3 (comprising C(16:1)�s7c and/or C(16:1)�s6c) and C(18:0). The major cellular hydroxy fatty acid was C(14:0) 2-OH. The major isoprenoid quinone was Q-10 and the DNA G+C content was 63.8 mol%. The polar lipid profile consisted of a mixture of sphingoglycolipid, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, an uncharacterized glycolipid, an uncharacterized aminophospholipid and four uncharacterized phospholipids. The polyamine pattern of strain HL-25(T) contained spermidine and putrescine. On the basis of these genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data, strain HL-25(T) represents a novel species in the genus Sphingobium, for which the name Sphingobium sufflavum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HL-25(T) (=BCRC 80413(T) =KCTC 23953(T)).