Abstract:[Objective] A melanin-producing actinomycete was isolated from the mud collected from Gaogong Island, Lianyungang. [Methods] The pigment seperated from the fermentation broth of HT-18 was characterized by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy. The strain was clarified by colonial morphology, physiological and biochemical tests and 16S rRNA sequence phylogenetic analysis. The shake flask condition for pigment fermentation was optimized using single factor test. [Results] The results showed that HT-18’s production was melanin. The strain was preliminary identified Streptomyces. The optimal fermentation process was that 70 mL of tyrosine medium was contained in a 250 mL flask for 3 d fermentation at initial pH 7.0, 31 °C. [Conclusion] HT-18 was a melanin-producing strain with research and application potential.