A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, red-pigmented bacterium (MDT1-10-3T) was isolated from Midui glacier in Tibet, China. Cells were aerobic and psychrotolerant (growth occurred at 4-25 °C). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that it was a member of the genus Rufibacter, with Rufibacter immobilis MCC P1T (96.7 % similarity) as its closest phylogenetic relative. MK-7 was the predominant respiratory menaquinone. The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 4 (iso-C17 : 1 I and/or anteiso-C17 : 1 B), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω6c and/or C16 : 1ω7c), C17 : 1ω6c, iso-C16 : 0, iso-C15 : 0 and C16 : 1ω5c. The predominant polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified aminophospholipids, one glycolipid and four unidentified lipids. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 49 mol%. On the basis of the phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic analysis, strain MDT1-10-3T represents a novel species of the genus Rufibacter, for which the name Rufibacter glacialis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MDT1-10-3T ( = CGMCC 1.9789T = NBRC 109705T).