In taxonomy

Alpha taxonomy

Alpha taxonomy is the discipline concerned with finding, describing and naming species of living or fossil organisms. This field is supported by institutions holding collections of these organisms, with relevant data, carefully curated: such institutes include natural history museums, herbaria and...

, Haloarcula is a genus of the Halobacteriaceae

Halobacteriaceae

In taxonomy, the Halobacteriaceae are a family of the Halobacteriales in the domain Archaea.- Overview :Halobacteriaceae are found in water saturated or nearly saturated with salt. They are also called halophiles, though this name is also used for other organisms which live in somewhat less...

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Description and Significance

Haloarcula are extreme halophilic archaeons. They are distinguished from other genera in the Halobacteriaceae family by the presence of specific derivatives of TGD-2 polar lipids. There are currently seven recognized species in the genus: Haloarcula vallismortis, Haloarcula marismortui, Haloarcula hispanica, Haloarcula japonica, Haloarcula argentinensis, Haloarcula mukohataei, and Haloarcula quadrata. Haloarcula quadrata was first isolated when researchers were attempting to culture Haloquadratum walsbyi, a haloarchaeon that was thought to be unculturable until 2004.

Haloarchula grow optimally between 40-45°C. Growth appears in sheets of 65 cells often in the shape of a square or triangle.

Ecology

Haloarcula are found in neutral saline environments like salt lakes, marine salterns, and saline soils. Like other members of the Halobacteriaceae family, Haloarcula require at least 1.5 M NaCl for growth, but grow optimally in 2.0 to 4.5 M NaCl.

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