Ten strains designated as Planococcus halophilus, three strains of Planococcus sp. Group III, and an unidentified motile coccus were studied taxonomically. They all had meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall, DNA base composition ranging between 43.9 to 46.6 %, menaquinone systems with MK-7, and growth at a concentration of 20 % of sodium chloride. These characteristics differ significantly from those of the type species (Planococcus citreus) of the genus Planococcus. Therefore, we regard these strains as belonging to a new genus, and propose the genus Marinococcus for such bacteria. Two species are recognized in this genus, Marinococcus albus sp. nov. and Marinococcus halophilus (Novitsky and Kushner) comb. nov. They differ from each other in colony pigmentation, oxidase, urease, extracellular DNase, nitrate reduction, hydrolysis of gelatin, casein and esculin, and production of acid from glucose and some other sugars. Marinococcus halophilus comb. nov. is the type species of the genus Marinococcus. Strain HK 718 (=CCM 2706, Czechoslovak Collection of Microorganisms, Brno, Czechoslovakia=IAM

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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 , 1963, p. 67) reported the isolation of five water-soluble pink-pigmentproducing, gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, fermentative, 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" (Zimmermann) Bergey et al. on the basis of phenotypic characteristics 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 METHODSBacterial 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 Laboratory, 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, Rockville, Md. Enterobacter agglomerans hybridization group VIII strain CDC 5422-69 (= ATCC 29919) was obtained from the Culture Collection of the Meningitis and Special Pathogens Laboratory Section, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, 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 routinely 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) Hickman and Farmer (10). Commercial media were used whenever possible. API 20E strips (API System S.A., Montalieu-Vercieu, France) were used for preliminary characterization; API 50CH and API 5OCHE strips (API System S.A.) were use...