Magnetotactic bacteria(MTB) biomineralize intracellular magnetite(Fe3 O4) and/or greigite(Fe3 S4) magnetosomes. They are widely distributed in aquatic environments and play important roles in the biogeochemical cycles of Fe, S, C, N and P. Due to their difficulty of cultivation our knowledge on the diversity and environmental function of MTB remains very limited. Here, we have characterized a group of uncultivated MTB from Pond Lianhua in Beijing, China. Light and scanning electron microscopy shows coccoid ...