User:Obri98/Thiolava

Thiolava, represented by its sole species Thiolava veneris (meaning Venus's hair), is a genus of bacteria discovered growing in stringlike mats after an eruption of the submarine volcano Tagoro near the Canary Islands. The International Institute of Species Exploration named Thiolava veneris one of its 2018 Top 10 New Species.

Description
T. veneris was the first colonizing organism found growing in an area recently obliterated by underwater volcanism. The bacteria were discovered growing at about 130 m depth, near the summit of the submarine volcano Tagoro. The mats of hair-like filaments formed by this bacterium cover an area of approximately 2,000 m2 around the newly formed volcanic cone. Each bacteria is 3-6 μm, and form white trichomes consisting of three helical strands surrounded by a protective, gelatinous sheath. The sheaths are 36 to 90 μm wide and up to 3 cm long.

Ecology
Unusually, T. veneris can harvest nutrients and energy from the sulfates, nitrates and oxides emitted by the volcano by at least three different metabolic pathways. The mats host a wide variety of other sea life.