A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and aerobic bacterium, designated CF17(T), was isolated from coastal planktonic seaweeds, East China Sea. The isolate grew at 18-37 °C (optimum 25-28 °C), pH 6.5-9.0 (optimum 7.0-8.0) and with 0-5 % NaCl (optimum 1-2 %, w/v) and 0.5-10 % sea salts (optimum 2-3 %, w/v). Growth of strain CF17(T) could be stimulated prominently by supplementing the growth medium with the autoclaved supernatant of a culture of strain CF5, which was isolated from the same sample along with strain CF17(T). The cell morphology of strain CF17(T) was a bean-shaped rod consisting of a swollen end and a long prostheca. The phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain CF17(T) clustered with Gemmobacter nectariphilus DSM 15620(T) within the genus Gemmobacter. The DNA G+C content of strain CF17(T) was 61.4 mol%. The respiratory quinone was ubiquinone Q-10. The major fatty acids included C18 : 1ω7c and C18 : 0. The polar lipids of strain CF17(T) consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, two uncharacterized phospholipids, one uncharacterized aminolipid, three uncharacterized glycolipids and one uncharacterized lipid. On the basis of phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic data, strain CF17(T) ( = CGMCC 1.11024(T) = JCM 18498(T)) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Gemmobacter, for which the name Gemmobacter megaterium sp. nov. is proposed.