A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, rod-shaped, non-motile, endospore-forming and UV-resistant bacterial strain, designated strain TKL69(T), was isolated from sandy soil sampled in the Taklimakan Desert. The strain grew at 20-50 degrees C, pH 6-9 and with 0-12 % (w/v) NaCl. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C-15:0, iso-C-15:0 and C-16:0. The only respiratory quinone was MK-7. The cell-wall peptidoglycan was meso-diaminopimelic acid. Diphosphatidyl glycerol, two unidentified aminophospholipids and one unidentified phospholipid were identified as the major polar lipids. Genomic DNA analysis revealed a G+C content of 38.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain TKL69(T) has the highest similarity to Salinibacillus xinjiangensis CGMCC 1.12331(T) (96.9%) but belongs to an independent taxon separated from other genera of the family Bacillaceae. Phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses suggested that strain TKL69(T) represents a novel species of a new genus, for which the name Radiobacillus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain being Radiobacillus deserti TKL69(T) (=JCM 33497(T)=CICC 24779(T)).