Haloquadratum walsbyi

Haloquadratum walsbyi is of the genus Haloquadratum, within the archaea domain known for its square halophilic nature. First discovered in a brine pool in the Sinai peninsula of Egypt, H. walsbyi is noted for its flat, square-shaped cells, and its unusual ability to survive in aqueous environments with high concentrations of sodium chloride and magnesium chloride. The species' genus name Haloquadratum translates from Greek and Latin as "salt square". This archaean is also commonly referred to as "Walsby's Square Bacterium" because of its identifying square shape which makes it unique. In accordance with its name, Haloquadratum walsbyi are most abundantly observed in salty environments. Haloquadratum walsbyi is a phototrophic halophilic archaeon. It was the only recognized species of the genus Haloquadratum until 1999 when Haloarcula quadrata was reported as recovered from a brine pool. Haloquadratum walsbyi is very unusual because of its unique cellular structure that resembles an almost-perfectly flat-shaped figure. The genus was first observed in 1980 by a British microbiologist, Prof. Anthony E. Walsby, from samples taken from the Sabkha Gavish, a brine lake in southern Sinai, Egypt. This discovery is formally described in 2007 by Burns et al. Attempts to cultivate the archaea were unsuccessful until 2004 and resulted in the identification of Haloarcula quadrata, another species of square archaea of the genus Haloarcula, distinct from H. walsbyi, less abundant and genetically quite different. Haloquadratum walsbyi cells size at 2 to 5 microns and 100 to 200 nanometers thick. The archaea generally contain granules of polyhydroxyalkanoates and hold a number of refractive vacuoles filled with gas that ensure buoyancy in an aqueous environment, and allow for maximum light absorption. These gas vacuoles were discovered by Wallaby in 1980 when determining the identity of intracellular refractive bodies in the archaean's structure. They gather in sheets up to 40 μm wide, but the connections between the cells are fragile and can easily be broken.