Five bacterial isolates were recovered from dermatitis or organ lesions of five agamid lizards. Three strains were recovered from Uromastyx species with dermatitis or septicaemia. All five isolates were Gram-positive small rods that could not be identified using conventional phenotypic systems. They grew on sheep blood agar as small haemolytic colonies after 24 h of incubation at temperatures between 25 and 42 degrees C under aerobic, microaerophilic or anaerobic conditions. They were catalase-positive and non-motile. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the strains represent a new taxon within the class Actinobacteria. Their nearest phylogenetic neighbours were determined as Brachybacterium faecium LMG 19847(T) (95.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and Dermabacter hominis NCIMB 13131(T) (95.3% similarity). The DNA G+C content of one of the novel isolates, strain IMP2(T), was 61 mol%. On the basis of morphological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic differences from other species of coryneform bacteria, it is proposed that this novel taxon be classified as Devriesea agamarum gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain is IMP2(T) (=LMG 24257(T)=CCUG 55056(T)).