''Ascosphaera apis'' is a species of

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

belonging to the family

Ascosphaeraceae The Ascosphaeraceae are a family of fungi in the Ascomycota, class Eurotiomycetes Eurotiomycetes is a large class of ascomycetes with cleistothecial ascocarps within the subphylum Pezizomycotina, currently containing around 3810 species accor ...

. It was one of the first entomopathogen genomes to be sequenced. It has a

cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The ext ...

. It causes the chalkbrood diseases in bees, which rarely kills infected colonies but can weaken them and lead to reduced honey yields and susceptibility to other pests and diseases.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q8206343 Onygenales