Crithidia bombi
{{Short description|Species of protozoa}}
{{Speciesbox
| genus = Crithidia
| species = bombi
| authority = Lipa and Triggiani, 1988{{cite journal |vauthors=Lipa JJ, Triggiani O |title=Crithidia bombi sp. n. a flagellated parasite of a bumble-bee Bombus terrestris L. (Hymenoptera, Apidae) |journal=Acta Protozoologica |year=1988 |volume=27 |pages=3–4 }}
}}
Crithidia bombi is a parasitic protist from the order Trypanosomatida. It is the most prevalent parasite of bumblebees.
Ecology
Crithidia bombi is an important parasite of various bumblebee species, including common species like Bombus terrestris, Bombus muscorum, and Bombus hortorum.{{Cite journal|title = A Draft Genome of the Honey Bee Trypanosomatid Parasite Crithidia mellificae|journal = PLOS ONE|date = 2014-04-17|pmc = 3990616|pmid = 24743507|pages = e95057|volume = 9|issue = 4|doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0095057|first1 = Charles|last1 = Runckel|first2 = Joseph|last2 = DeRisi|first3 = Michelle L.|last3 = Flenniken|bibcode = 2014PLoSO...995057R|doi-access = free}}{{cite journal | author = Baer, B. and P. Schmid-Hempel | year = 2001 | title = Unexpected consequences of polyandry for parasitism and fitness in the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris | journal = Evolution | volume = 55 | issue = 8 | pages = 1639–1643 | doi=10.1554/0014-3820(2001)055[1639:ucopfp]2.0.co;2| pmid = 11580023 }} 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.{{Cite journal|title = Sex, horizontal transmission, and multiple hosts prevent local adaptation of Crithidia bombi, a parasite of bumblebees (Bombus spp.)|journal = Ecology and Evolution|date = 2012-05-01|issn = 2045-7758|pmc = 3399159|pmid = 22837838|pages = 930–940|volume = 2|issue = 5|doi = 10.1002/ece3.250|first1 = Silvio|last1 = Erler|first2 = Mario|last2 = Popp|first3 = Stephan|last3 = Wolf|first4 = H. Michael G.|last4 = Lattorff| bibcode=2012EcoEv...2..930E }}