microsporidian
English edit
Etymology edit
Microsporidia + -an
Noun edit
microsporidian (plural microsporidians or microsporidia)
- Any of many parasites, of the class Microsporidia, considered to be fungi or close relatives of fungi.
- Synonym: microsporidium
- 1983, James J. Bull, Evolution of Sex Determining Mechanisms, page 94:
- Bulnheim subsequently observed that either of two parasitic microsporidians, Octosporea effeminans and Thelohania herediteria, were invariably associated with the thelygeny.
- 1993, Yoshinori Tanada, Insect Pathology, page 425:
- Moreover , the sequence of ribosomal RNA suggests that the microsporidia are extremely ancient eukaryotes and had separated very early from other eukaryotes.