''Crithidia bombi'' is a parasitic protist from the order Trypanosomatida. It is the most prevalent parasite of

bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...

Ecology

''Crithidia bombi'' is an important parasite of various

species, including common species like '' Bombus terrestris'', ''

Bombus muscorum ''Bombus muscorum'', commonly known as the large carder bee or moss carder bee, is a species of bumblebee in the family Apidae. The species is found throughout Eurasia in fragmented populations, but is most commonly found in the British Isles. '' ...

'', and '' Bombus hortorum''. The parasites negatively impact reproductive fitness of ''Bombus'' queens, as they affect their ovarian development as well as early colony establishment after the queens emerge from hibernation.

References

Trypanosomatida Parasitic excavates Parasites of bees Protists described in 1988 Euglenozoa species {{Excavata-stub