Halobacteriales

Halobacteriales is an order of the class Halobacteria, found in water saturated or nearly saturated with salt. Commonly called halophiles, its members thrive where salt, moisture and organic material are abundant, and their large blooms take on a reddish color from the pigment bacteriorhodopsin, which absorbs light for energy production; a related pigment, halorhodopsin, transports chloride ions and assists a form of light-driven energy generation distinct from conventional photosynthesis, since it cannot fix carbon dioxide.