[Petroleum-oxidizing microflora of the Arctic seas of the USSR]

Active petroleum-oxidizing bacteria of the USSR arctic seas are represented by Mycobacterium mucosum (non-colored), Mycobacterium phlei and Mycobacterium brevicale (red-orange) which inhabit the Yenisei Bay, the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea. Vertical distribution of the petroleum-oxidizing mycobacteria is characterized by substitution of non-coloured forms for coloured ones with depth: "white" strains are found mainly in the surface layer while red and yellow-orange strains are detected in deep water layers and near the bottom.