Characteristics:

There are many different types of oil eating bacteria but one of the most common is Pseudomonas, as shown below. Pseudomona are gram-negative and rod shaped bacteria.  They are found in soil all around the world and are usually aerobic.  Pseudomona always have at least one flagella and they do not form spores.  Pseudomona reproduce asexually by means of binary fission. "Pseudomonas species have very simple nutritional requirements.  In the laboratory they will grow in media with some organic matter in solution."

Petroleum Eating Bacteria is a bacterium that contains genes that equip the bacteria for adaptation of many environments. It uses long-chain alkanes as their energy sources, which are found in fuel oils. Thus, meaning that it uses the petroleum  as an energy source.  They produce an enzyme called LadA, which helps to break down the long-chain alkanes into smaller molecules. The bacterial enzyme is an ideal contender for treating oil pollution.

http://diverge.hunter.cuny.edu/~weigang/Images/11-07_pseudomonas_1.jpg