A new species, Bacillus glucanolyticus, is proposed for a group of facultatively anaerobic endospore-forming bacteria isolated from soil that hydrolyze various β-glucans, including carboxymethyl cellulose and pustulan. Of the 14 strains examined, 11 were phenotypically homogeneous, and five of these strains showed high levels of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) relatedness (>68%) to a reference strain. Two pustulan-hydrolyzing strains were atypical, with low levels of DNA relatedness (52 to 57%), and a third strain was not classified as B. glucanolyticus. B. glucanolyticus strains produce motile microcolonies similar to those of Bacillus alvei but can be distinguished from this taxon by several phenotypic characteristics and a higher DNA base composition (48 mol%). B. glucanolyticus is similar to Bacillus circulans and related species; indeed, four strains were received as B. circulans, but distinctive phenotypic characteristics and low levels of DNA homology with B. circulans, Bacillus amylolyticus, Bacillus lautus, Bacillus pabuli, and Bacillus validus strains support its introduction as a new species. The type strain of B. glucanolyticus is strain S93 (= DSM 5162T).