Aspergillus

Aspergillus () is a genus consisting of several hundred mold species found in various climates worldwide.

OverviewAI-generated

Aspergillus is a taxon classified at the genus rank, belonging to the family Aspergillaceae. The taxon was described by P.Micheli ex Link, with the type species identified as Aspergillus glaucus. Its common name is 曲霉属, and it is named after a watering can. According to WoRMS, the genus is accepted, with the authority cited as P. Micheli, 1729. It is also associated with the family Trichocomaceae, order Eurotiales, class Eurotiomycetes, and phylum Ascomycota.

The organism is found in marine, brackish, and freshwater habitats. Records from iDigBio indicate presence in Mexico, the United States, Brasil, and Canada, with collections held by institutions including CIIDIR-IPN, FESI-UNAM, CUP, OSC, and INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE PESQUISAS DA AMAZÔNIA (INPA). On iNaturalist, the common name Black Mold is used, with 531 observations recorded. The subject has 67,447 entries in PubMed and is referenced by 761 other encyclopedia articles.

Synthesized by Vinony from 33 facts across 6 sources: Wikidata, PubMed, iNaturalist, WoRMS, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

アスペルギルス/コウジカビ属

Genus

PhylumAscomycota
ClassEurotiomycetes
OrderEurotiales
FamilyTrichocomaceae

Habitatmarine, brackish, freshwater

Observations531

Die Gießkannenschimmel (Aspergillus) sind eine über 350 Arten umfassende Gattung von Schimmelpilzen mit aspergillförmigen Sporenträgern. Sie sind weltweit verbreitete Saprobionten, die überwiegend in toter, sich zersetzender organischer Substanz leben und einen erheblichen Anteil am Stoffkreislauf im Ökosystem der Erde haben. Einige Arten sind jedoch Krankheitserreger, die den Menschen, verschiedene Tiere oder Pflanzen befallen können. Die Gattung Aspergillus wurde lange Zeit zu den Fungi imperfecti gezählt, die sich von anderen Pilzen dadurch unterscheiden, dass sie sich nur asexuell fortpflanzen. Inzwischen ist aber bei einigen Arten bekannt, dass sie einen pleomorphen Entwicklungszyklus durchlaufen, in dem sich eine asexuelle Form (Anamorphe) und eine sexuelle Form (Teleomorphe) abwechseln. Bislang werden provisorisch die asexuellen Formen weiterhin als Aspergillus bezeichnet, während die bekannten sexuellen Formen unter anderen Gattungsnamen zu den Schlauchpilzen (Ascomycota) gerechnet werden. Der Name Aspergillus geht auf den italienischen Priester und Botaniker Pier Antonio Micheli zurück, den die Form des Pilzes an ein Aspergill (Weihwassersprenger) erinnerte. Der deutsche N

via

Museum specimens

Specimen records: 403
With media: 77
Family: Trichocomaceae
Collections: CIIDIR-IPN, FESI-UNAM, CUP, OSC, INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE PESQUISAS DA AMAZÔNIA (INPA), NCU
Recorded in: Mexico, United States, Brasil, Canada

iDigBio →

Research

67,447 papers

Aspergillus and aspergillosis.Journal of medical and veterinary mycology : bi-monthly publication of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology · 1992
Antifungal Resistance in Non-fumigatus Aspergillus Species.Mycoses · 2025
Aspergillus--classification and antifungal susceptibilities.Current pharmaceutical design · 2013
An Overview of Aspergillus Species Associated with Plant Diseases.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024
Aspergillus: a primer for the novice.Medical mycology · 2009

via PubMed

~16 min read

Encyclopedic overview

14 sections

Contents

Taxonomy
Species
Inner taxonomy
Growth and distribution
Commercial importance
Research
Sexual reproduction
Genomics
Pathogens
Aspergillosis
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Aspergillus () is a genus consisting of several hundred mold species found in various climates worldwide.

Aspergillus was first catalogued in 1729 by the Italian priest and biologist Pier Antonio Micheli. Viewing the fungi under a microscope, Micheli was reminded of the shape of an aspergillum (holy water sprinkler), from Latin spargere (to sprinkle), and named the genus accordingly. Aspergillum is an asexual spore-forming structure common to all Aspergillus species; around one-third of species are also known to have a sexual stage. While some species of Aspergillus are known to cause fungal infections, others are of commercial importance.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Aspergillus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.