Five strains of a gram-negative, oxidase-negative, facultatively anaerobic, fermentative, motile, rod-shaped bacterium with the general characteristics of the family Enterubucteriaceae were isolated from tomatoes (three strains), a banana, and a cucumber. All of the strains produced a water-soluble pink pigment. As determined by DNA hybridization (hydroxyapatite method) these five strains were 85 to 100% related in 60 and 75°C reactions, and related sequences exhibited 1 % or less base sequence divergence, indicating that the organisms are members of a single species. These bacteria were most closely related to Erwiniu rhapontici (68 to 72% at 60"C, 42 to 44% at 75"C, 10.5% divergence) and to hybridization group VIII in the Enterobacter agglomerans (Pantoea agglomerans, Erwiniu herbicoh) complex (64% at 60°C, 32% at 75"C, 14.5% divergence). Phenotypic differentiation from Erwiniu rhapontici, which also produces a water-soluble pink pigment, is based on negative reactions by the new species in tests for methyl red, N-acetylglucosamine, DL-tartrate assimilation, and acid production from amygdalin, dulcitol, D-fucose, P-gentiobiose, a-methyl-D-glucoside, glycerol, D-lyxose, melez- itose, D-turanose, xylitol, and D-xylose and a positive reaction for acetoin (Voges-Proskauer test). On the basis of these data, the name Erwinia persicinus is proposed for the new organism. The type strain is strain HK 204 (= AJ 2716 = CDC 9108-82 = IAM 12843 = JCM 3704 = ATCC 35998). Komagata and Okada (K. Komagata and N. Okada, Abstr. Annu. Meet. Agric. Chem. SOC. Jpn., 1963, p. 67) reported the isolation of five water-soluble pink-pigment- producing, gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, fermen- tative, rod-shaped bacteria from tomatoes, a banana, and a cucumber. These strains were isolated on nutrient agar containing 1.0% meat extract, 1.0% peptone, 0.5% NaCl, and 1.0% lactose. Komagata and Okada identified these strains tentatively as strains of ''Serratia rubefaciens" (Zim- mermann) Bergey et al. on the basis of phenotypic charac- teristics and the production of the pink pigment. In this study the five pink-pigmented strains were studied biochemically and by using DNA hybridization. Our results indicated that these organisms are members of a new species in the genus Erwiniu, for which the name Erwinia persicinus is proposed. MATERIALS AND METHODS Bacterial strains. Unclassified, pink-pigmented strains HK 200, HK 201, HK 203, HK 204T (T = type strain), and HK 205 were obtained from the Central Research Labora- tory, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kawasaki, Japan. Erwinia rhapontici ATCC 23376, ATCC 29283T, ATCC 29284, and ATCC 29288, Erwinia rubrifaciens ATCC 29291 and ATCC 29292T, and Enterobacter agglomerans ATCC 271ST were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection, Rock- ville, Md. Enterobacter agglomerans hybridization group VIII strain CDC 5422-69 (= ATCC 29919) was obtained from the Culture Collection of the Meningitis and Special Patho- gens Laboratory Section, Centers for Disease Control, At- lanta, Ga. Strains were maintained on media containing 1% Casitone (Difco Laboratories, Detroit, Mich.), 0.3% yeast extract, 0.5% NaC1, and 0.7% agar or on nutrient agar. Cultures were grown at 30°C. Phenotypic characteristics. Biochemical tests that are rou- tinely used for members of the family Enterobacteriaceae were performed by using the methods of Edwards and Ewing (3), with modifications described by Farmer et al. (4) and