METHANOCOCCUS-IGNEUS SP-NOV, A NOVEL HYPERTHERMOPHILIC METHANOGEN FROM A SHALLOW SUBMARINE HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM

A novel hyperthermophilic strictly chemolithoautotrophic member of the genus Methanococcus was isolated from a shallow (depth: 106 m) submarine vent system at the Kolbeinsey ridge, Iceland. The isolate grew between 45 and 91°C with an optimum around 88°C (doubling time: 25 min). It differs from Methanococcus jannaschii in its 16S rRNA sequence, its non-hybridizing DNA, and its selenium-independent growth. Therefore, the isolate represents a new species which we name Methanococcus igneus. Type strain is isolate “Kol 5” (DSM 5666). © 1990, Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart · New York. All rights reserved.