The initial sample of the species was isolated by South African pathologist Adrianus Pijper from an infected nail from a patient and assigned the name H.

In 1968, N. J. W. Kerger-Van Rij and Donald G. Ahearn, observed physiological and morphological differences between H. valbyensis and H. guilliermondii and proposed a resumed separation of the two species.

[4] Yeast samples that had been obtained from a bee by P. Lavie in 1954 and later designated as Kloeckera apis was found to be the anamorph form of H. guilliermondii and placed in synonymy.

[1] Colonies that are grown on malt agar for one month at 25°C appear white to cream-colored, glossy, and smooth.

[1] Although the original sample of the species was obtained in a clinical medical setting, the yeast is primarily associated with fruits, plants, fermenting musts, and insects.