Methanococcus


Methanococcus is a genus of coccoid methanogens of the family Methanococcaceae. They are all mesophiles, except the thermophilic M. thermolithotrophicus and the hyperthermophilic M. jannaschii. The latter was discovered at the base of a "white smoker" chimney at 21°N on the East [Pacific Rise] and it was the first archaeal genome to be completely sequenced, revealing many novel and eukaryote-like elements.

Phylogeny

The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of [Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature] and National [Center for Biotechnology Information].