FAMILY III. THIOBACTERIACEAE 



79 



Genus I. Thiobacterium Janke, 1924* 



(Janke, Allgem. Tech. Mikrobiol., I Teil, 1924, 68; not Thiobacterium Issatchenko and 



Salimowskaja, Zur Morphologie u. Physiol, der Thionsaurebakterien (Russian), 



Izyiestia Gosud. Gidrobiol. Inst. (Memoirs State Hydrobiol. Inst. 



Leningrad), No. 21, 1928, 61.) 



Thi.o.bac.te'ri.um. Gr. noun thi iwi suUur; Gr. dim. noun bacterium a small rod; M.L. 

 neut.n. Thiobacterium small sulfur rod. 



Rod-shaped, sulfur bacteria found in fresh or salt water or soil. Cells 1.0 micron or less 

 in diameter. Motility not observed. Sulfur granules sometimes found inside, sometimes 

 outside the cells. These cells may or may not be embedded in pellicles or in spherical, 

 bladder-like colonies. 



The type species is Thiobacterium bovista Janke. 



Key to the species in genus Thiobacterium. 



I. Sulfur grains are found within the cells. Forms colonies in bladder-like masses which 

 resemble puff balls. 



1. Thiobacterium bovista. 

 II. Sulfur grains are found outside of the cells. 



A. Produces colonies on the surface of water containing proper nutrients. Sulfur crys- 

 tals are found among the cells. 



2. Thiobacterium cristalliferum. 



B. Produces a surface film in the form of a network on water. Sulfur globules are found 

 among the cells. 



3. Thiobacterium retiformans. 



1. Thiobacterium bovista (Molisch, 

 1912) Janke, 1924. {Bacterium bovista Mo- 

 lisch, Cent. f. Bakt., II Abt., 33, 1912, 59; 

 Janke, Allgem. Tech. Mikrobiol., I Teil, 

 1924, 68.) 



bo.vis'ta. M.L. noun Bovista a genus of 

 puff balls; from German bovist puff ball; 

 M.L. fem.n. bovista puff ball. 



Rod-shaped bacteria embedded in the 

 wall of bladder-like gelatinous colonies, the 

 interiors of which are filled with a clear 

 liquid. The cells are 0.6 to 1.5 by 2.0 to 5.0 

 microns, occurring by the thousands in 

 each colony. Each cell contains from one to 

 four sulfur granules. No motility observed. 

 The cells stain well with gentian violet while 

 the gelatinous matrix stains poorly, if at all. 



The spherical colonies increase in number 

 by a kind of budding process that produces 

 smaller colonies. The colonies are white by 

 reflected light, black or bluish black by 

 transmitted light. Groups of these colonies 

 have the appearance of groups of puff balls 



of variable sizes. They occur near the surface 

 of the water. 



These organisms have not been cultivated 

 in pure culture. 



Source: Found commonly in sulfurous 

 sea-water in the harbor at Trieste. 



Habitat: Presumably widely distributed 

 in coastal waters containing hydrogen sul- 

 fide. 



2. Thiobacterium cristalliferum (Gickl- 

 horn, 1920) Janke, 1924. (Bacterium cris' 

 talliferum Gicklhorn, Cent. f. Bakt., II Abt., 

 50, 1920, 420; Janke, Allgem. Tech. Mikro- 

 biol., I Teil, 1924, 68.) 



cris. tal.li'fe. rum. Gr. noun crystallus a 

 crystal; L. v.fero to bear; M.L. adj. cristal- 

 liferus crystal-bearing. 



Straight to curved, rod-shaped bacteria. 

 0.3 to 0.5 by 1.0 to 2.4 microns. Deposit sul- 

 fur crystals outside of the cells. Non-motile. 

 Stain readily in gentian violet. 



Colonies developed on the surface of water 



* Prepared by Prof. Dr. Alexander Janke, Technische Hochschule, Vienna, Austria, 

 December, 1954. 



