Sulfolobus was first discovered by Thomas Brock and colleagues in 1970 and formally described in 1972. The discovery of Sulfolobus, along with the previously isolated Thermus aquaticus (source of the extremely thermostable Taq DNA polymerase), is generally credited with launching the field of hyperthermophilic microbiology.
Sulfolobus grows in sulfur-rich hot acid springs at temperatures up to 90°C and at pH values of 1-5. Sulfolobus is an aerobic chemolithotroph that oxidizes H2S or S0 to H2SO4 and fixes CO2 as sole carbon source. Sulfolobus can also grow chemoorganotrophically. Cells of Sulfolobus are more or less spherical but form distinct lobes. Cells adhere tightly to sulfur crystals where they can be seen microscopically using fluorescent dyes. Besides the aerobic respiration of sulfur or organic compounds, Sulfolobus can also oxidize Fe2+ to Fe3+, and this has been applied to the high-temperature leaching of iron and copper ores.
Taken from the text Brock Biology of Microorganisms (10th ed.). Madigan, M.T., Martinko, J.M., and Parker, J. 2003. Prentice Hall. 464