Malaysian scientists identified a new zombie fungus parasite in Borneo’s Danum Valley that feeds on Ophiocordyceps, the fungus known for infecting ants, according to University Malaysia Sabah researchers.
University Malaysia Sabah researchers named the species Pleurocordyceps cornusynnemata after its horn-shaped structure. The team studied an infected ant collected in Sabah, Malaysia.
Associate Professor Dr Jaya Seelan Sathiya Seelan of the University Malaysia Sabah Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation told AFP the fungus acts as a “hyperparasite” because it parasitises the primary pathogen rather than the insect host itself.
Ophiocordyceps infects insects, manipulating their behaviour before killing them. Seelan said Pleurocordyceps instead infiltrates and feeds on Ophiocordyceps tissue inside the infected ant.
Researchers published the discovery in Phytotaxa, a taxonomy journal. The study used physical traits and DNA markers to identify the new species.
The team also documented a new spider-killing fungus during the same field trips. Seelan said the fungi could support research into antimicrobial drugs and biological control agents against agricultural pests.
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The Phytotaxa study said researchers used morphological and molecular assessments, including ITS and TEF-1α genetic markers, to describe the new species and record two other Pleurocordyceps species in Malaysia.
Seelan said the same field trips also documented a new spider-killing fungus and said the fungi could support future research into antimicrobial drugs and biological control agents against agricultural pests.
