Like other members of the microbial rhodopsin family, archaerhodopsins are expressed in specialised, protein-rich domains of the cell surface membrane, commonly called the claret membrane. In addition to ether lipids, the claret membrane contains bacterioruberin, (a 50-carbon carotenoid pigment) which is thought to protect against photobleaching. Atomic force microscope images of the claret membranes of several archaerhodopsins, show that the proteins are trimeric and are arranged in a hexagonal lattice. Bacterioruberin has also been implicated in oligomerisation and may facilitate protein-protein interactions in the native membrane.