chytrid

American  

[kahy-trid, ki-] / ˈkaɪ trɪd, ˈkɪ- /

noun

1. any of the simple, algaelike fungi constituting the class Chytridiomycetes, order Chytridiales, of aquatic and soil environments, having flagellated zoospores and little or no mycelium.

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Etymology

Origin of chytrid

< New Latin Chytridiales, equivalent to Chytridi ( um ) the type genus (< Greek chytrídion, diminutive of chýtra pipkin) + -ales -ales

Example Sentences

The organism, named Algophthora mediterranea, is a microscopic chytrid fungus that can infect a wide variety of hosts.

From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2026

After coming under attack by the chytrid fungus, the frog's population took a further hit by the passage of Tropical Storm Erika in 2015 and Hurricane Maria two years later.

From BBC • May 11, 2024

Valerie J. McKenzie’s lab at the University of Colorado Boulder is using probiotics to try to save boreal toads from chytrid fungal disease.

From Scientific American • Dec. 27, 2022

During the past 50 years, the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has caused population declines in hundreds of amphibian species, researchers estimate, and harlequin frogs have been among the most severely affected.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 9, 2022

For example, the decline of the world’s frog population in recent years may be caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which infects the skin of frogs and presumably interferes with gaseous exchange.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015