Strain DXL2, a Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, endospore-forming, motile, aerobic bacterium, was isolated from selenium mineral soil. DXL2 had the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with those of Paenibacillus ginsengarviGsoil 139 (96.8 %), Paenibacillushemerocallicola DLE-12 (95.5 %) and Paenibacillus hodogayensisSG (95.4 %). The genome size of DXL2 was 7.24 Mb, containing 6243 predicted protein-coding genes, with a DNA G+C content of 60.2 mol%. DXL2 contained meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and iso-C15 : 0. The major quinone was menaquinone 7. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, two aminophospholipids, an unidentified aminolipid, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, an unidentified glycolipid and an unidentified phospholipid. Compared with the other strains, DXL2 had a specific phospholipid and a specific aminolipid, it hydrolyzed Tween 40 and could not assimilate potassium gluconate. On the basis of the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic results, strain DXL2 represents a novel species within the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillusflagellatus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DXL2 (=KCTC 33976=CCTCC AB 2018054).