Myxococcus xanthus

Myxococcus xanthus is a gram-negative, bacillus species of myxobacteria typically found in the top-most layer of soil. It lacks flagella, instead using pili for motility, and is well known for preying on other microorganisms while sourcing carbon from lipids rather than sugars. Under abundant food conditions it forms a predatory, single-species biofilm called a swarm, while starvation triggers a multicellular developmental cycle, making it a model organism for studying self-organizing and cooperative bacterial behavior.