Three different amylolytic activities, designated AMY1, AMY2, and AMY3 were detected in the cytoplasm of the extreme halophilic archaeon Haloferax mediterranei grown in a starch containing medium. This organism had also been reported to excrete an alpha-amylase into the external medium in such conditions. The presence of these different enzymes which are also able to degrade starch may be related to the use of the available carbohydrates and maltodextrins, including the products obtained by the action of the extracellular amylase on starch that may be transported to the cytoplasm of the organism. The behavior of these intracellular hydrolytic enzymes on starch is reported here and compared with their extracellular counterpart. Two of these glycosidic activities (AMY1, AMY3) have also been purified and further characterized. As with other halophilic enzymes, they were salt dependent and displayed maximal activity at 3 M NaCl, and 50 degrees C. The purification steps and molecular masses have also been reported. The other activity (AMY2) was also detected in extracts from cells grown in media with glycerol instead of starch and in a yeast extract medium. This enzyme was able to degrade starch yielding small oligosaccharides and displayed similar halophilic behavior with salt requirement in the range 1.5-3 M NaCl.