Tags: Archaea.
Thermococcus litoralis (T. litoralis) is a species of Archaea that is found around deep-sea hydrothermal vents as well as shallow submarine thermal springs and oil wells. It is an anaerobic organotroph hyperthermophile that is between 0.5–3.0 µm in diameter. Like the other species in the order thermococcales T. litoralis is an irregular cocci hyperthermophile that grow between 55–100 °C. T. litoralis stands out from the rest of the thermococci in that it lacks motility.