Algae, Cyanobacteria, other bacteria and viruses
Sighting 3364366

Iron Bacteria

Mount Clear, ACT

Iron Bacteria at Mount Clear, ACT - 3 Nov 2016 12:57 PM
Iron Bacteria at Mount Clear, ACT - 3 Nov 2016 12:57 PM
Iron Bacteria at Mount Clear, ACT - 3 Nov 2016 12:57 PM
Iron Bacteria at Mount Clear, ACT - 3 Nov 2016 12:57 PM
Iron Bacteria at Mount Clear, ACT - 3 Nov 2016 12:57 PM
Iron Bacteria at Mount Clear, ACT - 3 Nov 2016 12:57 PM
Iron Bacteria at Mount Clear, ACT - 3 Nov 2016 12:57 PM
Iron Bacteria at Mount Clear, ACT - 3 Nov 2016 12:57 PM
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Identification history

Iron Bacteria 11 Jan 2017 MichaelMulvaney
Iron Bacteria 7 Nov 2016 KenT

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User's notes

Found at the edge of a stream. Sheath-forming iron- and manganese-depositing bacteria possibly in the Sphaerotilus-Leptothrix group. Individual tubes to >640µm long and 1.3µm wide. To take the id any further requires some serious laboratory equipment and skills. For a recent reference to this group see Schmidt et al. 2014, FEMS Microbial Ecology 90: 454-466.

1 comment

MichaelMulvaney wrote:
   11 Jan 2017
Stephen Skinner of the NSW Herbarium said "I concur that it is bacterial...and there is more in the notes than I could have said. As far as I am aware, these iron bacterial patches are not any cause for worry, but in New Zealand all such things require to be reported and checked!

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Location information

Sighting information

Species information

  • Iron Bacteria Scientific name
  • Common name
  • Not Sensitive
  • Local native
  • Non-invasive or negligible
  • Up to 592.86m Recorded at altitude
  • Machine learning
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