Kangillaceae is a family under the order Oceanosprillales that contains the genera Kangiella, Aliikangiella and Pleionea. The presence of abundant genes encoding extracellular proteases in the highly streamlined genome of the genus Kangiella suggests that it contributes significantly to the degradation of protein components in marine particulate organic matter. Considering that the type strains of Kangilla exclusively utilize protein as nutrient sources, we suggest to translate the genus as "Shi Ruan Jun" (protein degrading bacteria) in Chinese. In this paper, we review the research progress to identify novel species and phylogeny of Kangielleace. Based on the reconstituted metabolic networks of Kangiella, we reveal the potential ecological functions of this group of marine bacteria.