Name: Methanococcus voltae Balch and Wolfe 1981

Category: Species

Proposed as: sp. nov.

Etymology: vol’tae. N.L. gen. masc. n. voltae, of Volta, named for the Italian physicist A. Volta for discovery of the combustible nature of gas from anaerobic sediments

Pronunciation, gender: WOL-ta͡e, masculine

Type strain: ATCC 33273; DSM 1537; NBRC 100457; OCM 70; PS

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: M59290 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Balch WE, Fox GE, Magrum LJ, Woese CR, Wolfe RS. Methanogens: reevaluation of a unique biological group. Microbiol Rev 1979; 43:260-296.

IJSEM list: Anonymous. Validation list no. 6. Validation of publication of new names and new combinations previously effectively published outside the IJSB. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1981; 31:215-218.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

Taxonomic status: correct name

Risk group: 1

• Emendations:
  • Ward et al. 1989 Ward JM, Smith PH, Boone DR. Emended description of strain PS (= OGC 70 = ATCC 33273 = DSM 1537), the type strain of Methanococcus voltae. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1989; 39:493-494.
    Notes:
    • 📧 The e-mail address of the corresponding author given in the associated publication is not functional any more.
    • 🧍 Although the type strain ATCC 33273 appears in the literature, a query of the ATCC database reveals that it is not in their holdings.

• Notes:
  • ✏ The authority of the taxon name (Balch and Wolfe) deliberately differs from the authors of the publication (Balch et al.).
  • 😷 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 2023-10-29. 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 162 times in PubMed until 2025-06-04.
  • 🧍 Although the type strain ATCC 33273 appears in the literature, a query of the ATCC database reveals that it is not in their holdings. Publication: Garrity GM, Bell JA, Lilburn TG. Taxonomic Outline of the Procaryotes. Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, Second Edition., Release 5.0. Springer-Verlag, New York, 2004.
  • 🧍 On the Validation List no. 6, the type strain DSM 1537 is erroneously cited as DSM 153. Publication: Euzeby JP, Kudo T. Corrigenda to the validation lists. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2001; 51:1933-1938.

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

Assigned by: Balch WE, Fox GE, Magrum LJ, Woese CR, Wolfe RS. Methanogens: reevaluation of a unique biological group. Microbiol Rev 1979; 43:260-296.

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Record number: 777858