The microsporidian Cucumispora dikerogammari is a parasitic fungal species that infects the invasive amphipod Dikerogammarus villosus.
[1] The first recorded evidence of Cucumispora dikerogammari was, as cited by Ovcharenko and Vita, in Germany, circa 1895, by Dr. L. Pfeiffer in the Dnieper Estuary.
As its host, D. villosus, began to invade novel habitats, C. dikerogammari followed, and has now expanded its range to be found in many of the main bodies of water in Central and Western Europe.
Characteristics of phylum Microspora include a relictual mitochondrial structure and a complex life cycle involving both horizontal and vertical transmission.
Through phenotypic, molecular, phylogenic, and host compatibility experiments, evidence has led to the reclassification of Nosema dikerogammari within the novel genus Cucumispora.