Al.ka.li.coc'cus. N.L. n. alkali (from Arabic article al the; Arabic n. qaliy ashes of saltwort) alkali; N.L. mas. n. coccus (from Gr. masc. n. kokkos) a sphere; N.L. masc. n. Alkalicoccus a coccus living in basic surroundings.

Firmicutes / Bacilli / Bacillales / Bacillaceae / Alkalicoccus

Alkalicoccus is a genus in the family Bacillaceae, order Bacillales, class Bacilli, phylum Firmicutes. It currently comprises only two species—Alkalicoccus saliphilus and Alkalicoccus halolimnae. A. saliphilus was isolated from green algal mat of a mineral pool (southern Italy), and A. halolimnae was retrieved from a salt lake (northwestern China). Strictly aerobic, Gram-stain-positive, coccus shaped, non-endospore-forming, and nonmotile. Members of the genus Alkalicoccus are moderately halophilic with growth in the 4–20% NaCl (optimum at 8–12 or 15% NaCl) and the mesophilic temperature range of 10–41°C (optimum at 33 or 37°C). Strains are chemoorganotrophic and utilize a range of carbon sources. The major fatty acids are composed of anteiso saturated branched-chain fatty acids (anteiso-C_15:0 and anteiso-C_17:0). The dominant polar lipids consist of diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG), and the respiratory quinone is menaquinone-7 (MK-7).

DNA G + C content (mol%): 40.0–45.7 mol% (HPLC and genome analysis).

Type species: Alkalicoccus saliphilus Zhao et al. 2017^VP (Basonym: Bacillus saliphilus Romano et al. 2005^VP).