Name: Methanococcus mazei Barker 1936 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: sp. nov.

Etymology: N.L. gen. masc. n. mazei, of Mazé, named for P. Mazé, the French bacteriologist who first studied the organism

Gender: masculine

Type strain: DSM 2053; DSM 3318; not cultivated; OCM 26; S-6; VKM B-1636

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: AJ012095 Analyse FASTA

Original publication: Barker HA. Studies upon the methane-producing bacteria. Archiv für Mikrobiologie 1936; 7:420-438.

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: Methanosarcina mazei corrig. (Barker 1936) Mah and Kuhn 1984

Risk group: 1

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Methanosarcina mazeii (sic) (Barker 1936) Mah and Kuhn 1984	homotypic synonym, misspelling
    Methanosarcina mazei corrig. (Barker 1936) Mah and Kuhn 1984	homotypic synonym, validly published
    Methanococcus frisius Blotevogel et al. 1986	heterotypic synonym, validly published
    Methanosarcina frisia (Blotevogel et al. 1986) Blotevogel and Fischer 1989	heterotypic synonym, validly published

• Notes:
  • According to Maestrojuan et al. (1992), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Methanococcus frisius Blotevogel et al. 1986. Publication: Maestrojuán GM, Boone JE, Mah RA, Menaia JAGF, Sachs MS, Boone DR. Taxonomy and halotolerance of mesophilic Methanosarcina strains, assignment of strains to species, and synonymy of Methanosarcina mazei and Methanosarcina frisia. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1992; 42:561-567.
  • According to Maestrojuan et al. (1992), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Methanosarcina frisia (Blotevogel et al. 1986) Blotevogel and Fischer 1989. Publication: Maestrojuán GM, Boone JE, Mah RA, Menaia JAGF, Sachs MS, Boone DR. Taxonomy and halotolerance of mesophilic Methanosarcina strains, assignment of strains to species, and synonymy of Methanosarcina mazei and Methanosarcina frisia. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1992; 42:561-567.
  • After the publication of the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names, Methanococcus mazei was available in pure culture. Upon analysis of the partial sequence of the 16S rRNA of methanogens it became apparent that the pure culture of Methanococcus mazei was related to the genus Methanosarcina Kluyver and van Niel 1936 emend. Barker 1956.

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

Assigned by: Barker HA. Studies upon the methane-producing bacteria. Archiv für Mikrobiologie 1936; 7:420-438.

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