A Gram-positive, rod-shaped, motile, spore-forming bacterium, strain SA-7-6(T), was isolated from desert soil in China and was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. The strain grew optimally at pH 7.5 and 37 degrees C. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain SA-7-6(T) was 53.7 mol%. The predominant menaquinone was MK-7. The major cellular fatty acid was anteiso-C(15:0). Strain SA-7-6(T) contained meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the new isolate shared highest similarity with Paenibacillus glycanilyticus JCM 11221(T) (96.6%) and Paenibacillus daejeonensis KCTC 3745(T) (96.6%). Based on morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic characteristics, strain SA-7-6(T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Paenibaillus, for which the name Paenibacillus tarimensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SA-7-6(T) (=CCTCC AB 206108(T)=DSM 19409(T)).