Ophiocordyceps camponoti-balzani is a species of fungus that parasitizes insect hosts of the order Hymenoptera, primarily ants.[1] It was first isolated from Viçosa, Minas Gerais (Atlantic Forest), on Camponotus balzani. This species was formerly thought to be Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which has subsequently been divided into four species. O. camponoti-balzani infects ants, and eventually kills the hosts after they move to an ideal location for the fungus to spread its spores. This has earned the species names such as “zombie fungus”, given the fungus has been observed to cause its hosts to bite hard into the substrate it stands on, so that the fungus can then stably grow.[2]
| Ophiocordyceps camponoti-balzani | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Sordariomycetes |
| Order: | Hypocreales |
| Family: | Ophiocordycipitaceae |
| Genus: | Ophiocordyceps |
| Species: | O. camponoti-balzani
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ophiocordyceps camponoti-balzani Evans, Elliot and Hughes, 2011
| |
Description
editThis species mycelium is a chocolate brown colour, and forms aggregations around the insects' joints, especially on legs and antennae. Its stromatal morphology is similar to O. camponoti-rufipedis, but its fertile region is dark brown when mature. Its ascomata are semi-erumpent and flask-shaped, measuring up to 200 millimetres (7.9 in), and possessing a pronounced neck.[1]
Its asci are 8-spored, hyaline and cylindrical, while its ascospores are multiserriate, thin-walled and rounded at their base.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Moreau, Corrie; Evans, Harry C.; Elliot, Simon L.; Hughes, David P. (2011). "Hidden Diversity Behind the Zombie-Ant Fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis: Four New Species Described from Carpenter Ants in Minas Gerais, Brazil". PLOS ONE. 6 (3): e17024. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...617024E. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017024. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3047535. PMID 21399679.
- ^ Kaplan, Matt (2011-03-05). "Photos: "Zombie" Ants Found With New Mind-Control Fungi". National Geographic. Archived from the original on March 6, 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
Further reading
edit- Evans, Harry C.; Elliot, Simon L.; Hughes, David P. (2011). "Ophiocordyceps unilateralis: A keystone species for unraveling ecosystem functioning and biodiversity of fungi in tropical forests?". Communicative & Integrative Biology. 4 (5): 598–602. doi:10.4161/cib.16721. PMC 3204140. PMID 22046474.
- Dance, Amber (2014). "Microbes take charge". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 111 (6): 2051–2053. Bibcode:2014PNAS..111.2051D. doi:10.1073/pnas.1400859111. PMC 3926085. PMID 24520170.
- Kobmoo, Noppol; et al. (2015). "New species of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, an ubiquitous pathogen of ants from Thailand". Fungal Biology. 119 (1): 44–52. doi:10.1016/j.funbio.2014.10.008. PMID 25601148.
External links
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