Bakteerimalleina

Bakteerimalleina is a fictional genus of bacteria used in speculative biology, educational materials, and worldbuilding contexts. The name blends bakteeri, a term used in several languages for bacteria, with malleina, a coined element referring to a malleable envelope. In the sources that employ it, Bakteerimalleina is presented as a Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that can form endospores under stress and possesses a remarkably flexible cell envelope.

Described morphology and physiology emphasize a compact genome and metabolic versatility. Reported cell dimensions range around 0.9–1.2 μm in width and 2–4 μm in length. The envelope features an unusually adaptable peptidoglycan-lipid matrix, enabling rapid shape changes and resilience to desiccation and osmotic shifts. Metabolic traits are typically described as facultatively anaerobic with broad substrate use, including simple sugars and certain hydrocarbons.

Taxonomy for Bakteerimalleina is deliberately provisional in most sources, with placement shown as a hypothetical member of a Bacilli-like lineage or a dedicated family Bakteerimalleaceae in speculative classifications. Its habitat in fiction is described as soil, freshwater sediments, and the rhizosphere, often in environments with fluctuating moisture or salinity. The genus is frequently used to illustrate concepts of envelope plasticity, microbial adaptation, and the boundaries between real and imagined microbiology in teaching and worldbuilding.