Name: Methanobacterium thermautotrophicum corrig. Zeikus and Wolfe 1972 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: sp. nov.

Etymology: Gr. masc. adj. thermos, hot; Gr. pref. auto, self; Gr. neut. adj. trophikon, nursing, tending; N.L. neut. adj. thermautotrophicum, thermophilic and autotrophic

Gender: neuter

Type strain: ATCC 29096; delta H; DSM 1053; DSM 3720; JCM 10044; NBRC 100330; OCM 143; VKM B-1908; ΔH

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: X68720 Analyse FASTA

Original publication: Zeikus JG, Wolfe RS. Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicus sp. n., an anaerobic, autotrophic, extreme thermophile. J Bacteriol 1972; 109:707-715.

IJSEM list: Skerman VBD, McGowan V, Sneath PHA. Approved lists of bacterial names. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1980; 30:225-420.

Nomenclatural status: validly published

Taxonomic status: synonym

Correct name: Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus corrig. (Zeikus and Wolfe 1972) Wasserfallen et al. 2000

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus corrig. (Zeikus and Wolfe 1972) Wasserfallen et al. 2000	homotypic synonym, validly published
    Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum Zeikus and Wolfe 1972 (Approved Lists 1980)	homotypic synonym, orthographic variant
    Methanobacterium thermoformicicum Zhilina and Ilarionov 1986	heterotypic synonym, validly published
    Methanobacterium thermoalcaliphilum Blotevogel et al. 1988	heterotypic synonym, orthographic variant
    Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicus Zeikus and Wolfe 1972 (Approved Lists 1980)	homotypic synonym, orthographic variant
    Methanobacterium thermoalkaliphilum Blotevogel et al. 1988	heterotypic synonym, orthographic variant
    Methanobacterium thermalcaliphilum corrig. Blotevogel et al. 1988	heterotypic synonym, validly published

• Emendations:
  • Touzel et al. 1992 Touzel JP, Conway de Macario E, Nolling J, De Vos WM, Zhilina T, Lysenko AM. DNA relatedness among some thermophilic members of the genus Methanobacterium: emendation of the species Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum and rejection of Methanobacterium thermoformicicum as a synonym of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1992; 42:408-411.
    Notes:
    • Emendation accompanied by a proposal regarding the synonymy of the species.
    • This emendation was not found in the expected IJSEM notification list.

• Notes:
  • According to Kotelnikova et al. (1993), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Methanobacterium thermoalkaliphilum Blotevogel et al. 1988. Publication: Kotelnikova SV, Obraztsova AY, Blotevogel KH, Popov IN. Taxonomic analysis of thermophilic strains of the genus Methanobacterium: reclassification of Methanobacterium thermoalcaliphilum as a synonym of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1993; 43:591-596.
  • According to Kotelnikova et al. (1993), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Methanobacterium thermalcaliphilum corrig. Blotevogel et al. 1988. Publication: Kotelnikova SV, Obraztsova AY, Blotevogel KH, Popov IN. Taxonomic analysis of thermophilic strains of the genus Methanobacterium: reclassification of Methanobacterium thermoalcaliphilum as a synonym of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1993; 43:591-596.
  • According to Kotelnikova et al. (1993), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Methanobacterium thermoalcaliphilum Blotevogel et al. 1988. Publication: Kotelnikova SV, Obraztsova AY, Blotevogel KH, Popov IN. Taxonomic analysis of thermophilic strains of the genus Methanobacterium: reclassification of Methanobacterium thermoalcaliphilum as a synonym of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1993; 43:591-596.
  • According to Touzel et al. (1992), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Methanobacterium thermoformicicum Zhilina and Ilarionov 1986. Publication: Touzel JP, Conway de Macario E, Nolling J, De Vos WM, Zhilina T, Lysenko AM. DNA relatedness among some thermophilic members of the genus Methanobacterium: emendation of the species Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum and rejection of Methanobacterium thermoformicicum as a synonym of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1992; 42:408-411.
  • Methanobacterium thermautotrophicum is the correct name if this species is regarded as a separate species within a separate genus Methanobacterium.
  • Original spelling of the specific epithet, thermoautotrophicum (sic), corrected by Boone and Mah 1989.
  • The original spelling of the specific epithet, thermoautotrophicum (sic), has been corrected by Boone and Mah 1989. Publication: Boone DR, Mah RA. Genus I. Methanobacterium Kluyver and van Niel 1936, 399AL, emend. Balch and Wolfe in Balch, Fox, Magrum, Woese and Wolfe 1979, 284. In: Staley JT, Bryant MP, Pfennig N, Holt JG (eds), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, first edition, vol. 3, The Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1989, p. 2175-2177.

Parent taxon: Methanobacterium Kluyver and van Niel 1936 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Zeikus JG, Wolfe RS. Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicus sp. n., an anaerobic, autotrophic, extreme thermophile. J Bacteriol 1972; 109:707-715.

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Record number: 777805