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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110302171309.htm



Four New Species of Zombie Ant Fungi Discovered in Brazilian Rainforest

ScienceDaily (Mar. 2, 2011) — 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.
See Also:
Plants & Animals

    * Fungus
    * New Species
    * Nature

Earth & Climate

    * Rainforests
    * Ecology
    * Biodiversity

Reference

    * Spore
    * Chytridiomycota
    * Fire ant
    * Soil life

These results appear in a paper by Evans et al. entitled Hidden
Diversity Behind the Zombie-Ant Fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis:
Four New Species Described from Carpenter Ants in Minas Gerais,
Brazil. This paper is the first to validly publish new fungal names in
an online-only journal while still complying with the rules and
recommendations of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature
(ICBN).

Beyond this important milestone, the paper is noteworthy for the
attention it draws to undiscovered, complex, biological interactions
in threatened habitats. The four new species all come from the
Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil which is the most heavily degraded
biodiversity hotspot on the planet. Ninety-two percent of its original
coverage is gone.

The effect of biodiversity loss on community structure is well known.
What researchers don't know is how parasites, such as these
zombie-inducing fungi, cope with fragmentation. Here the authors show
that each of the four species is highly specialized on one ant species
and has a suite of adaptations and spore types to ensure infection.
The life-cycle of these fungi that infect, manipulate and kill ants
before growing spore producing stalks from their heads is remarkably
complicated. The present work establishes the identification tools to
move forward and ask how forest fragmentation affects such disease
dynamics.
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Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by
ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Public Library of
Science, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Journal Reference:

   1. Harry C. Evans, Simon L. Elliot, David P. Hughes. Hidden
Diversity Behind the Zombie-Ant Fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis:
Four New Species Described from Carpenter Ants in Minas Gerais,
Brazil. PLoS ONE, 2011; 6 (3): e17024 DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0017024