telktis
Telktis is a genus of deeply marine microorganisms first identified during the Cobalt Expedition in 2022. Members of this genus are Gram‑negative, short‑rod bacteria that thrive at depths exceeding 4,000 meters in the South Atlantic Ocean. Morphologically, Telktis cells are 0.8–1.2 µm in diameter and exhibit a distinctive peptidoglycan layer enriched with unique lipopolysaccharides that confer resistance to high hydrostatic pressure.
The taxonomy of Telktis places it within the family Pseudomonadaceae, order Pseudomonadales. Phylogenetic analysis based on
Ecologically, Telktis is implicated in the degradation of deep‑sea hydrocarbons, as it can metabolize aliphatic and
The discovery of Telktis has stimulated interest in extreme‑environment microbiology, with several grant proposals directed at