Zombie-ant fungi from western Mexico: six new species in the <i>Ophiocordyceps unilateralis</i> complex (<i>Hypocreales</i>: <i>Ascomycota</i>) and a new host association with <i>Cephalotes</i> ants.

ABSTRACT: The myrmecophilous hirsutelloid fungi of the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis complex are common in tropical forests around the world. They are known as zombie-ant fungi because they manipulate the behaviour of ants, since infected ants are forced to move to specific sites in the forest, with optimal environmental conditions for the development of the fungus sporocarp or sporome and the release of the spores. Once there, the ants grab to the substrate with their mandibles, die, and their body becomes a source of nutrients for the fungus. Most of the species of the O. unilateralis complex have been described from the Neotropics and the East and Southeast Asia. However, it is likely that there are still many unknown species due to the diversity of their hosts and different specific

SUBMITTER: Ballesteros-Aguirre CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12798844 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature