A novel Gram-stain positive, endospore-forming bacterium, designated SGD-14T, was isolated from a marine sediment sample in Goa Province, India. Cells of the isolate were found to be strictly aerobic. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain SGD-14T showed a similarity of 99.5 % with Bacillus endophyticus and similarities to other Bacillus type strains were below 96 %. The whole-cell sugar pattern was found to consist of ribose, xylose and glucose. The predominant menaquinone was identified as MK-7 and the major fatty acids as anteiso-C15:0, iso-C15:0, iso-C16:0, anteiso-C17:0, C16:0 and iso-C14:0. The strain was found to grow optimally at 30 °C and pH 7.0–7.5. DNA G + C content was determined to be 39.6 mol%. The phospholipid pattern was found to consist of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. DNA–DNA hybridization studies between strain SGD-14T and B. endophyticus CIP106778T showed that strain SGD-14T exhibited <70 % similarity with B. endophyticus CIP106778T. Differences in phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics between the novel strain and B. endophyticus CIP106778T further confirmed that this isolate represents novel species. Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain SGD-14T fits in the same clade with B. endophyticus with 100 % bootstrap values. Strain SGD-14T is therefore considered to represent a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus filamentosus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Bacillus filamentosus is SGD-14T = (=NCIM 5491T = DSM 27955T).