Halophiles (Haloarchaea) are named so because they usually in salt rich substarte like salt pans, salt beds, and salt marshes. They are aerobic chemoheterotrophs. Their cell membrane have red carotenoid pigment for protection, against solar radiations.Â
Halophiles growing in salt pans and salt beds gives offensive smell and undesirable pigmentation to the salt.
Halophiles are able to live under high salt conditions due to following reasons: presence of lipids in the cell membrane, occurrence of mucilage covering, absence of sap vacuoles (so plasmolysis occur) and high internal salt content.