Error message
Unable to fetch location details at this time.
Cordyceps fungus
Cordyceps sp.
-0.5, -77.2833
Field Notes
Description:
This moth has been infected with a Cordyceps fungus. The parasitoid fungus has the ability to manipulate insect behaviour, sometimes causing them to climb high up into branches where they grab onto a surface and don't let go. The fungus then sprouts from the insect corpse as fruiting bodies, which are visible in this photo as protruding stalks on each side of the moth. These release spores that are dispersed through the canopy to infect other victims. There are hundreds of species of Cordyceps, each specialised to a different insect species.
Habitat:
Secondary Amazon rainforest, Payamino, Ecuador.
Notes:
Wish I could have got a better photo but my macro was playing up! See this video, narrated by David Attenborough, for more amazing detail about Cordyceps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuKjBIBBAL8
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment
Sign in to comment