A family of fungi (class Zygomycetes) comprising terrestrial, aquatic, and sometimes parasitic organisms; includes the genera Mucor, Absidia, Rhizopus, Rhizomucor, Apophysomyces, and Mortierella. Although the various species of the genera are ordinarily saprobic, free-living forms, some of them cause mucormycosis in humans. [L. mucor, mold]
