Methanocaldococcus
| Methanocaldococcus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Archaea | 
| Kingdom: | Methanobacteriati | 
| Phylum: | Methanobacteriota | 
| Class: | Methanococci | 
| Order: | Methanococcales | 
| Family: | Methanocaldococcaceae | 
| Genus: | Methanocaldococcus Whitman 2002 | 
| Type species | |
| Methanocaldococcus jannaschii (Jones et al. 1984) Whitman 2002 | |
| Species | |
| 
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Methanocaldococcus formerly known as Methanococcus is a genus of coccoid methanogen archaea. They are all mesophiles, except the thermophilic M. thermolithotrophicus and the hyperthermophilic M. jannaschii. The latter was discovered at the base of a “white smoker” chimney at 21°N on the East Pacific Rise and it was the first archaean genome to be completely sequenced, revealing many novel and eukaryote-like elements.