The taxonomic position of a Streptomyces strain isolated from an extreme hyper-arid soil sample collected from the Atacama Desert was determined using a polyphasic approach. The strain, isolate C60(T), had chemical and morphological features typical of members of the genus Streptomyces and formed a distinct phyletic line in the Streptomyces 16S rRNA gene tree, together with the type strain of Streptomyces radiopugnans. The two strains were distinguished readily using a combination of phenotypic properties and by a DNA-DNA relatedness value of 23.17 (± 0.95)%. On the basis of these genotypic and phenotypic data, it is proposed that isolate C60(T) (=CGMCC 4.7018(T)=KACC 15492(T)) be classified in the genus Streptomyces as Streptomyces atacamensis sp. nov.