4 new species of Zombie ant fungi discovered in Brazilian rainforest
Wednesday, March 2, 2011 - 18:30
in Biology & Nature
Four new Brazilian species in the genus Ophiocordyceps have been published in the online journal PLoS ONE. The fungi, named by Dr. Harry Evans and Dr. David Hughes, belong to a group of "zombifying" fungi that infect ants and then manipulate their behavior, eventually killing the ants after securing a prime location for spore dispersal.