Nine isolates, which were obtained from tonsils, anal swabs and faeces of dogs and from tonsils of a cat and a calf, constituted a homogeneous but unidentified taxon after screening with tRNA intergenic length polymorphism analysis and whole-cell protein fingerprinting. 16S rDNA sequence analysis classified representative strains in the genus Streptococcus. Highest sequence similarity (95.9 %) was obtained with Streptococcus ovis. Growth characteristics, biochemical features, DNA-DNA hybridization and DNA G+C contents of selected strains demonstrated that they represent a single, novel streptococcal species. The name Streptococcus minor sp. nov. is proposed for the novel species; the type strain (ON59(T)=LMG 21734(T)=CCUG 47487(T)) was isolated from a dog tonsil.