''Nosema'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
microsporidia
Microsporidia are a group of spore-forming unicellular parasites. These spores contain an extrusion apparatus that has a coiled polar tube ending in an anchoring disc at the apical part of the spore.Franzen, C. (2005). How do Microsporidia inva ...
n parasites. The genus, circumscribed by Swiss botanist
Carl Nägeli
Carl Wilhelm von Nägeli (26 or 27 March 1817 – 10 May 1891) was a Swiss botanist. He studied cell division and pollination but became known as the man who discouraged Gregor Mendel from further work on genetics. He rejected natural selecti ...
in 1857, contains 81 species.
[ Most parasitise ]insect
Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
s and other arthropod
Arthropods ( ) are invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda. They possess an arthropod exoskeleton, exoskeleton with a cuticle made of chitin, often Mineralization (biology), mineralised with calcium carbonate, a body with differentiated (Metam ...
s, and the best-known ''Nosema'' species parasitise honeybee
A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to mainland Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the c ...
s, where they are considered a significant disease by beekeepers, often causing a colony to fail to thrive in the spring as they come out of their overwintering period. Eight species parasitize digenea
Digenea (Gr. ''Dis'' – double, ''Genos'' – race) is a class of trematodes in the Platyhelminthes phylum, consisting of parasitic flatworms (known as ''flukes'') with a syncytial tegument and, usually, two suckers, one ventral and one or ...
ns, a group of parasitic flatworm
Platyhelminthes (from the Greek language, Greek πλατύ, ''platy'', meaning "flat" and ἕλμινς (root: ἑλμινθ-), ''helminth-'', meaning "worm") is a Phylum (biology), phylum of relatively simple bilaterian, Segmentation (biology), ...
s, and thus are hyperparasites, i.e., parasites of a parasite.[Toguebaye, B. S., Quilichini, Y., Diagne, P. M. & Marchand, B. 2014: Ultrastructure and development of ''Nosema podocotyloidis'' n. sp. (Microsporidia), a hyperparasite of ''Podocotyloides magnatestis'' (Trematoda), a parasite of ''Parapristipoma octolineatum'' (Teleostei). Parasite, 21, 44. ]
Species
*'' Nosema algerae'' parasitising mosquito
Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...
es
*'' Nosema antheraeae'' parasitising the Chinese oak silkworm '' Antheraea pernyi''
*'' Nosema apis'' parasitising western honey bee
The western honey bee or European honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name ''Apis'' is Latin for 'bee', and ''mellifera'' is the Latin for 'honey-bearing' or 'honey-carrying', ...
s
*'' Nosema birgii'' parasitising the chrysomelid beetle ''Mesoplatys cincta''
*'' Nosema bombi'' parasitising bumble bee
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 group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera ...
s
*''Nosema bombycis
''Nosema bombycis'' is a species of Microsporidia of the genus ''Nosema (microsporidian), Nosema'' infecting Bombyx mori, silkworms, responsible for pébrine.
This species was the first microsporidium described, when pebrine decimated silkworms i ...
'' causes ''pébrine
Pébrine, or "pepper disease," is a disease of silkworms, which is caused by protozoan microsporidian parasites, mainly ''Nosema bombycis'' and, to a lesser extent, ''Vairimorpha'', ''Pleistophora'' and ''Thelohania'' species. The parasites infect ...
'' in silkworms
*'' Nosema carpocapsae'' parasitising '' Laspeyresia molesta'' (a tortricid moth)
*'' Nosema ceranae'' parasitising honey bees
A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to mainland Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the ...
and bumble bee
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 group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera ...
s
*'' Nosema chaetocnemae'' parasitising the chrysomelid beetle ''Chaetocnema tibialis''
*'' Nosema chrysorrhoeae'' parasitising the browntail moth '' Euproctis chrysorrhoea'' (a lymantrid moth)
*'' Nosema couilloudi'' parasitising chrysomelid beetles of genus ''Nisotra''
*'' Nosema empoascae'' parasitising the potato leaf-hopper '' Empoasca fabae'' (a cicadellid bug)
*'' Nosema equestris'' parasitising the chrysomelid beetles ''Gastrophysa viridula
''Gastrophysa viridula'', known as the green dock beetle (note: the similar '' Gastrophysa cyanea'' in North America is also called the green dock beetle), green dock leaf beetle or green sorrel beetle, is a species of beetle native to Europe.
D ...
'' and ''Leptinotarsa decemlineata
The Colorado potato beetle (''Leptinotarsa decemlineata''; also known as the Colorado beetle, the ten-striped spearman, the ten-lined potato beetle, and the potato bug) is a beetle known for being a major Pest (organism), pest of potato crops. ...
''
*'' Nosema fumiferanae'' parasitising the eastern spruce budworm ''Choristoneura fumiferana
''Choristoneura fumiferana'', the eastern spruce budworm, is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae native to the eastern United States and Canada. The caterpillars feed on the needles of spruce and fir trees. Eastern spruce budworm populat ...
'' (a tortricid moth)
*'' Nosema furnacalis'' parasitising the Asian corn-borer '' Ostrinia furnacalis'' (a pyralid moth)
*'' Nosema galerucellae'' parasitising the chrysomelid beetle ''Galerucella luteola''
*'' Nosema gastroideae'' parasitising the chrysomelid beetle ''Gastrophysa polygoni''
*'' Nosema granulosis'' parasitising the crustacean ''Gammarus duebeni''
*'' Nosema kovacevici''
*'' Nosema leptinotarsae'' parasitising the Colorado potato beetle
The Colorado potato beetle (''Leptinotarsa decemlineata''; also known as the Colorado beetle, the ten-striped spearman, the ten-lined potato beetle, and the potato bug) is a beetle known for being a major pest of potato crops. It is about lo ...
(''Leptinotarsa decemlineata'')
*'' Nosema nisotrae'' parasitising chrysomelid beetles of genus ''Nisotra''
*'' Nosema oulemae'' parasitising the chrysomelid beetle '' Oulema melanopus''
*'' Nosema phyllotretae'' parasitising the chrysomelid beetles ''Phyllotreta atra'' and ''Phyllotreta undulata''
*'' Nosema polygrammae'' parasitising the chrysomelid beetle ''Polygramma undecimlineata''
*'' Nosema portugal'' parasitising the gypsy moth ''Lymantria dispar
''Lymantria dispar'', also known as the gypsy moth or the spongy moth, is a species of Lepidoptera, moth in the family Erebidae native to Europe and Asia. ''Lymantria dispar'' is subdivided into several subspecies, with subspecies such as ''Ly ...
'' (a lymantrid moth)
*'' Nosema pyrrhocoridis'' parasitising the red soldier bug ''Pyrrhocoris apterus
The firebug, ''Pyrrhocoris apterus'', is a common insect of the family Pyrrhocoridae. Easily recognizable due to its striking red and black coloration, it may be confused with the similarly coloured though unrelated '' Corizus hyoscyami'' (cin ...
'' (a pyrrhocorid bug)
*'' Nosema pyrausta'' parasitising the European corn-borer '' Ostrinia nubilalis'' (a pyralid moth)
*'' Nosema serbica'' parasitising the gypsy moth ''Lymantria dispar
''Lymantria dispar'', also known as the gypsy moth or the spongy moth, is a species of Lepidoptera, moth in the family Erebidae native to Europe and Asia. ''Lymantria dispar'' is subdivided into several subspecies, with subspecies such as ''Ly ...
'' (a lymantrid moth)
*'' Nosema spodopterae'' parasitising the diamondback moth, '' Plutella xylostella'' (a plutellid moth)
*'' Nosema trichoplusiae'' parasitising the cabbage looper/tiger moth '' Trichoplusia ni'' (a noctuid moth)
*'' Nosema tyriae'' parasitising the cinnabar moth '' Tyria jacobaeae'' (an arctiid moth)
*'' Nosema vespula'' parasitising European wasps
'' Nosema locustae'', which parasitises locusts and grasshoppers, and ''Nosema grylli'', which parasitises crickets, have been transferred to ''Paranosema'', or in the former case ''Antonospora''. ''Nosema algerae'', which parasitises anopheline mosquitoes, has been transferred to ''Brachiola''. ''Nosema kingii'', which parasitises fruit flies, and ''Nosema acridophagus'', which parasitises grasshoppers, have been transferred to ''Tubilinosema''.
Studies of DNA sequences imply that the boundaries between the genera ''Nosema'' and ''Vairimorpha'' are incorrectly drawn.
References
External links
''Nosema bombycis''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2708701
Microsporidia genera
Parasites of arthropods