[7] These organisms stain Gram negative and are morphologically diverse, having rod, cocci, filamentous and oddly-shaped cells.

[10] Since its initial characterization by Wolfram Zillig, a pioneer in thermophile and archaean research, similar species in the same genus have been found around the world.

Unlike the vast majority of cultured thermophiles, Sulfolobus grows aerobically and chemoorganotrophically (gaining its energy from organic sources such as sugars).

Nitrososphaerota Thermoproteales Fervidicoccales Desulfurococcales 1 Desulfurococcales Sulfolobales "Panguiarchaeales" "Korarchaeales" "Bifangarchaeales" [B24] "Hecatellales" [B25] "Xuanwuarculales" [RBG-16-48-13] "Houtuarculales" [40CM-2-53-6] "Wuzhiqiibiales" [TCS64] "Zhuquarculales" [EX4484-135] "Bathyarchaeales" [B26-1] "Caldarchaeales" "Geothermarchaeales" Conexivisphaerales Nitrososphaerales "Nezhaarchaeales" "Culexarchaeles" "Methanomethylicales" "Gearchaeales" Thermofilales Thermoproteales "Marsarchaeales" Sulfolobales Irradiation of S. solfataricus cells with ultraviolet light strongly induces formation of type IV pili that can then promote cellular aggregation.

[17] Ultraviolet light-induced cellular aggregation was shown by Ajon et al.[18] to mediate high frequency inter-cellular chromosome marker exchange.

[20],[21] Since then, analysis of the abundant lipids from the membranes of Thermoproteota taken from the open ocean have been used to determine the concentration of these “low temperature Crenarchaea” (See TEX-86).

Based on these measurements of their signature lipids, Thermoproteota are thought to be very abundant and one of the main contributors to the fixation of carbon .