Re: Is Sarcina Lutea the same thing as Micrococcus luteus?

Hi Jill -

Sarcina lutea and Micrococcus luteus are one and the same. The designation S. lutea was used in the late 1800s. "Sarcina" refers to the characteristic clustering of this species of bacteria into tetrads or "dumbell" shapes. "Lutea" means "yellow", given the big-bird yellow pigment that colonies of M. luteus produce. The name Micrococcus was used later, to represent the fact that the size of these bacteria is smaller than that of their cousins, namely most Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species.

-L. Bry, MadSci Admin