Summary: | A novel Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, endospore-forming bacterium, which we designated as strain 03113<sup>T</sup>, was isolated from greenhouse soil in Beijing, China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed strain 03113<sup>T</sup> is in the genus <i>Bacillus</i> and had the highest similarity to <i>Bacillus solani</i> CCTCC AB 2014277<sup>T</sup> (98.14%). The strain grew at 4 °C–50 °C (optimum 37 °C), with 0–10% (<i>w/v</i>) NaCl (optimum 5%), and in the range of pH 3.0–12.0 (optimum pH 8.0). Menaquinone was identified as MK-7, and the major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidylethanolamine. The main major cellular fatty acids detected were anteiso-C<sub>15:0</sub> (51.35%) and iso-C<sub>15:0</sub> (11.06%), which are the predominant cellular fatty acids found in all recognized members of the genus <i>Bacillus</i>. The 16S rRNA gene sequence and core-genome analysis, the average nucleotide identity (ANI), and in silico DNA—DNA hybridization (DDH) value between strain 03113<sup>T</sup> and the most closely related species were 70.5% and 22.6%, respectively, which supported our conclusion that 03113<sup>T</sup> represented a novel species in the genus <i>Bacillus</i>. We demonstrated that type strain 03113<sup>T</sup> (=ACCC 03113<sup>T</sup>=JCM 33017<sup>T</sup>) was a novel species in the genus <i>Bacillus</i>, and the name <i>Bacillus telluris</i> sp. nov. was proposed. Strain 03113<sup>T</sup> secreted auxin IAA and carried the nitrogenase iron protein (<i>nifH</i>) gene, which indicated that strain 03113<sup>T</sup> has the potential to fix nitrogen and promote plant growth. <i>Bacillus telluris</i> sp. nov. 03113<sup>T</sup> is a potential candidate for the biofertilizers of organic agriculture areas.
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