A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile, strictly aerobic bacterium, strain S3-63(T), was isolated from desert sand of Xinjiang, China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain S3-63(T) had highest similarity to type strains of the genus Altererythrobacter, i.e. Altererythrobacter marinus H32(T) (97.2% similarity), Altererythrobacter marensis MSW-14(T) (95.9 %), Altererythrobacter aestuarii KCTC 22735(T) (95.5%), Altererythrobacter epoxidivorans JCS350(T) (95.1 %), Altererythrobacter namhicola KCTC 22736(T) (95.1 %), Altererythrobacter luteolus SW-109(T) (95.0%) and Altererythrobacter indicus LMG 23789(T) (93.5%). Growth occurred at 20-37 degrees C (optimum 30 degrees C), at pH 7.0-9.0 (optimum pH 8.0) and in 0-3% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 1%). The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10 and the predominant cellular fatty acids were C-18:1 omega 7c (50.8%), summed feature 3 (C-16:1 omega 7c and/or C-16:1 omega 6c; 12.6%), C-16:0 (12.3 %), C-14:0 2-OH (7.3%) and C-17:1 omega 6c (4.5%). The DNA G + C content was 64.6 mol%. Therefore, the phylogenetic, physiological and chemotaxonomic data demonstrated that strain S3-63(T) represents a novel species of the genus Altererythrobacter, for which the name Altererythrobacter xinjiangensis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is S3-63(T) (=CCTCC AB 207166(T)=CIP 110125(T)). An emended description of the genus Altererythrobacter is provided.