Species Methanosarcina mazei

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

Category, proposed as: species, comb. nov.

Basonym: Methanococcus mazei Barker 1936 (Approved Lists 1980)

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

Pronunciation (Latin), gender: me-t^ha-no-SAR-ki-na MA-ze-i, feminine

Type strain: DSM 2053; no culture available originally; OCM 26; S-6; VKM B-1636

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: AB973358 Analyse FASTA

Valid publication: Mah RA, Kuhn DA. Transfer of the type species of the genus Methanococcus to the genus Methanosarcina naming it Methanosarcina mazei (Barker 1936) comb. nov. et emend. and conservation of the genus Methanococcus (Approved Lists, 1980) with Methanococcus vannielii (Approved Lists, 1980) as the type species. Request for an opinion. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1984; 34:263-265.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

Taxonomic status: correct name

Risk group: 1

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Methanosarcina frisia (Blotevogel et al. 1986) Blotevogel and Fischer 1989	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    Methanococcus mazei Barker 1936 (Approved Lists 1980)	homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    Methanococcus frisius Blotevogel et al. 1986	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    Methanosarcina mazeii (Barker 1936) Mah and Kuhn 1984	other spelling of name, inaccurate spelling

• Notes:
  • ⏰ According to Mästrojuan 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 Mästrojuan 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. 🇺🇸
  • 🧬 The phylogenomic assignment score of this taxon is 0.12132 (N = 3).
  • 😷 The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 1, note = "Animal classification RG: 1 - Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No - Containment level: Containment Level 1". — The risk group for Swiss Confederation has been imported on 2024-02-01. The full classification is: risk group = 1. — The risk group for Germany has been imported on 2026-08-13. The full classification is: risk group = 1. — If in doubt, use the risk group given in the regulations for your country and, if these are not available, use the risk group given in the catalogue of the culture collection from which you have obtained or intend to obtain the strain.
  • 🎓 Name mentioned 379 times in PubMed until 2026-06-11.
  • 🧍 In volume one of the Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, second edition, Methanosarcina mazei has been incorrectly corrected to Methanosarcina mazeii (sic). Publication: Boone DR, Mah RA. Genus I. Methanosarcina Kluyver and van Niel 1936, 400AL, emend. Mah and Kuhn 1984a, 266 (Nom. Cons., Opinion 63 of the Jud. Comm. 1986b, 492). In: Boone DR, Castenholz RW, Garrity GM (eds), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, second edition, vol. 1 (The Archaea and the deeply branching and phototrophic Bacteria), Springer-Verlag, New York, 2001, p. 269-276. 🇺🇸

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

Assigned by: Mah RA, Kuhn DA. Transfer of the type species of the genus Methanococcus to the genus Methanosarcina naming it Methanosarcina mazei (Barker 1936) comb. nov. et emend. and conservation of the genus Methanococcus (Approved Lists, 1980) with Methanococcus vannielii (Approved Lists, 1980) as the type species. Request for an opinion. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1984; 34:263-265.

Linking: To permanently link to this page, use https://doi.org/10.83108/rn.777932Copy to clipboardLink copied to clipboard

Record number: 777932

• Previous versions:

  • Version	Date	JSON
    1	2026-03-31