Three strains able to efficiently produce ethanol from cellulosic hydrolysates were isolated from soil samples by enrichment culture in liquid saccharified wheat bran medium. The profiles of physiological and biochemical properties of two yeasts KM-09 and KM-402 and a bacterium Hg-225 were almost identical from those of Candida sp. and Klebsiella sp., respectively. Strains KM-09 and HG-225 used xylose and cellobiose as fermentable sugars, and HG-225 had a wide range of sugar utilization for ethanol fermentation. The optimal pH and temperature for growth of KM-09, KM-402 and HG-225 were 5.8, 5.6 and 6.8 and 32t, $30^{circ}C$~ and $38^{circ}C$, respectively. During the ethanol fermentation in saccharified wheat bran by the isolated strains, optimal temperature for ethanol production was more or less higher than those for growth, and addition of 0.2% (w/v) $MgSO_4$, into the medium enhanced ethanol productivity. Of the three strains ethanol content of KM-09 was the highest with about 2.3% (v/v), and ethanol production rate of HG-225 was faster than the others and maximum productivity was after 4 days. KM-09 (1.42% v/v) and HG-225 (1.05%, vlv) produced ethanol from 4% (wIv) xylose but growth rate was slower than on glucose. Otherwise KM-402 showed the highest ethanol productivity on glucose, but no ethanol was detected on xylose and cellobiose.