A novel actinobacterium, strain BC640^T, was isolated from a biofilm sample collected in 2009 in the Saint Callistus Roman catacombs. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that the strain belonged to the genus Kribbella . Phylogenetic analysis using the 16S rRNA gene and concatenated gyrB, rpoB, relA, recA and atpD gene sequences showed that strain BC640^T was most closely related to the type strains of Kribbella yunnanensis and Kribbella sandramycini . Based on gyrB genetic distance analysis, strain BC640^T was shown to be distinct from all Kribbella type strains. DNA–DNA hybridization experiments confirmed that strain BC640^T represents a genomic species distinct from its closest phylogenetic relatives, K. yunnanensis DSM 15499^T (53.5±7.8 % DNA relatedness) and K. sandramycini DSM 15626^T (33.5±5.0 %). Physiological comparisons further showed that strain BC640^T is phenotypically distinct from the type strains of K. yunnanensis and K. sandramycini . Strain BC640^T ( = DSM 26744^T = NRRL B-24917^T) is thus presented as the type strain of a novel species, for which the name Kribbella albertanoniae sp. nov. is proposed.