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Two Gram-stain-negative, facultative anaerobic, chemoheterotrophic, pink-coloured, rod-shaped and non-motile bacterial strains, PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569 T , were isolated from an Antarctic lichen. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strains PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569 T belong to the family Acetobacteraceae and the most closely related species are Gluconacetobacter takamatsuzukensis (96.1 %), Gluconacetobacter tumulisoli (95.9 %) and Gluconacetobacter sacchari (95.7 %). Phylogenomic and genomic relatedness analyses showed that strains PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569 T are clearly distinguished from other genera in the family Acetobacteraceae by average nucleotide identity values (<72.8 %) and the genome-to-genome distance values (<22.5 %). Genomic analysis revealed that strains PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569 T do not contain genes involved in atmospheric nitrogen fixation and utilization of sole carbon compounds such as methane and methanol. Instead, strains PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569 T possess genes to utilize nitrate and nitrite and certain monosaccharides and disaccharides. The major fatty acids (>10 %) are summed feature 8 (C 18 : 1  ω7 c and/or C 18 : 1  ω6 c ; 40.3-40.4 %), C 18 : 1 2OH (22.7-23.7 %) and summed feature 2 (C 14 : 0 3OH and/or C 16 : 1 iso I; 12.0 % in PAMC 26568). The major respiratory quinone is Q-10. The genomic DNA G+C content of PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569 T is 64.6 %. Their distinct phylogenetic position and some physiological characteristics distinguish strains PAMC 26568 and PAMC 26569 T from other genera in the family Acetobacteraceae supporting the proposal of Lichenicola gen. nov., with the type species Lichenicola cladoniae sp. nov. (type strain, PAMC 26569 T =KCCM 43315 T =JCM 33604 T ).