Ophiocordyceps

Common card · No. 271695

Ophiocordyceps is a genus of fungi within the family Ophiocordycipitaceae. The widespread genus, first described scientifically by British mycologist Tom Petch in 1931, contains about 140 species that grow on insects. Anamorphic genera that correspond with Ophiocordyceps species are Hirsutella, Hymenostilbe, Isaria, Paraisaria, and Syngliocladium. One species complex, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, is known for its parasitism on ants, in which it alters the behavior of the ants in such a way as to propagate itself more effectively. The parasite starts on the ground and comes in contact with an ant, killing it and then growing its fruiting bodies from the ant's head and releasing its spores. To accomplish this, infected ants are stripped of their instinctive fear of heights, and leaving the relative safety of their nests, climb up the nearest plant—a syndrome known as "summit disease". The ant then clamps its jaws around the plant in a "death grip" and mycelia grow from the ant's feet and...

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