Parasitic fungus that infects and kills spiders discovered in Brazil
Patrick Greenfield
@pgreenfielduk
Fri 17 Mar 2023 04.00 EDT
Exclusive: rare purple organism preys on trapdoor spider in behaviour reminiscent of its ‘zombie’ relatives that feature in apocalyptic TV show The Last of Us
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theguardian.org
Fri 17 Mar 2023 04.00 EDT
Scientists believe they have discovered a new parasitic fungus which preys on trapdoor spiders in Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest.
The rare organism, which is purple, belongs to a group of fungi that infect invertebrates and take over the host. A closeup image shows the fungus wrapped around the body of a trapdoor spider, poking out of the burrow from which the arachnid grabs insects.
Researchers said there was no evidence that the new parasitic fungus controlled the behaviour of trapdoor spiders before killing them, like their zombie-ant fungi relatives, which overcome the insects and trick them into leaving their nests to go to places where they can spread their spores and have been made famous by the post-apocalyptic TV drama The Last of Us.
The fungus was found in November during a field trip to forests north of Rio de Janeiro to document the area’s biodiversity and search for new species. It will need a formal scientific description before it is confirmed as a new species.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/17/parasitic-fungus-that-infects-and-kills-spiders-discovered-in-brazil-aoe