New Spider Mimics ‘The Last of Us’ Zombie Fungus Cordyceps
The New York Times • • science
Key Points:
- Alexander Bentley, a herpetologist leading tours in the Ecuadorian Amazon, discovered a moving fungal mass on a rainy night, initially believed to be cordyceps fungi infecting an insect host.
- Upon closer inspection, the fungal growth moved, surprising Bentley and raising questions about whether the fungus could control its host after piercing its exoskeleton.
- Bentley shared the specimen on iNaturalist, where users identified it not as a fungus but as a spider mimicking the appearance of gibellula, a genus of parasitic fungi related to cordyceps.
- This discovery highlights an example of mimicry in nature, where a spider imitates parasitic fungi to possibly avoid predators or gain other advantages.
