Haloarcula

In taxonomy, Haloarcula is a genus of the Halobacteriaceae.

Haloarcula are extreme halophilic archaeons. They are distinguished from other genera in the Halobacteriaceae family by the presence of specific derivatives of TGD-2 polar lipids. There are currently seven recognized species in the genus: H. vallismortis, H. marismortui, H. hispanica, H. japonica, H. argentinensis, H. mukohataei, and H. quadrata. H. quadrata was first isolated when researchers were attempting to culture Haloquadratum walsbyi, a haloarchaeon that was thought to be unculturable until 2004. Haloarcula quadrata, has predominantly flat, square-shaped, somewhat pleomorphic cells.