A novel, moderately halophilic actinomycete, strain YIM 90007(T), was isolated from a soil sample collected from the Xinjiang Province, China, and characterized. The optimum growth temperature of the strain was between 35 and 37 degrees C and growth occurred optimally in 10 % (w/v) NaCl. The cell wall of strain YIM 90007(T) contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. Whole-cell sugars were galactose, arabinose and ribose. The principal menaquinone was MK-9(H(4)), while MK-9(H(2)) was found in smaller amounts. The phospholipids were phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and hydroxyphosphatidylethanolamine. The predominant cellular fatty acids were of the iso- and anteiso-branched and unbranched types; significant amounts of 2-hydroxy fatty acids were also found but 10-methyl-branched fatty acids were missing. The DNA G+C content of strain YIM 900007(T) was 71 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed strain YIM 90007(T) to be closely related to Saccharomonospora halophila (98.7 % similarity). DNA-DNA hybridization revealed a relatedness of 53.8 % between strain YIM 90007(T) and S. halophila DSM 44411(T). Based on physiological and biochemical characteristics, phylogenetic analysis (based on 16S rRNA gene sequences) and DNA-DNA relatedness, it is concluded that strain YIM 90007(T) represents a novel species of the genus Saccharomonospora, for which the name Saccharomonospora paurometabolica (type strain YIM 90007(T)=CCTCC AA001018(T)=CCRC 16315(T)=DSM 44619(T)) is proposed.