Production of lipases by Rhodopseudomonas palustris, Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Rhodocyclus gelatinosus and Rhodocyclus tenuis in different synthetic media was investigated. Rc. gelatinosus followed by Rb. sphaeroides were good producers of lipases, while Rps. palustris and Rc. tenuis were poor in lipase secretion. Lipase secretion by Rc. gelatinosus was adaptive in nature, while other three bacterial behavior was inconsistent. No positive correlation could be observed between growth and lipase production.