Pyrodictium
| Pyrodictium | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Archaea |
| Clade: | Proteoarchaeota |
| Kingdom: | Thermoproteati |
| Phylum: | Thermoproteota |
| Class: | Thermoprotei |
| Order: | Desulfurococcales |
| Family: | Pyrodictiaceae |
| Genus: | Pyrodictium Stetter, König & Stackebrandt 1984 |
| Type species | |
| Pyrodictium occultum Stetter, König & Stackebrandt 1984 | |
| Species | |
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Pyrodictium is a genus in the family Pyrodictiaceae. It is a genus of submarine hyperthermophilic Archaea whose optimal growth temperature range is 80 to 110°C. They have a unique cell structure involving a network of cannulae and flat, disk-shaped cells. Pyrodictium are found in the porous walls of deep-sea vents where the temperatures inside get as high as 400°C, while the outside marine environment is typically 3°C. Pyrodictium is apparently able to adapt morphologically to this type of hot–cold habitat.