Ophiocordyceps

发布日期：2014-11-12 18:08 来源：网络作者：网络浏览次数：

Ophiocordyceps is a genus of fungi within the Ophiocordycipitaceae family. The widespread genus, first described scientifically by British mycologist Tom Petch in 1931, contains about 140 species that grow on insects. Anamorphicgenera that correspond with Ophiocordyceps species are Hirsutella, Hymenostilbe, Paraisaria, and Syngliocladium.

The fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is known for its parasitism on ants, in which it alters the behavior of the ants in such a way as to propagate itself more effectively. The fungus attacks the brain of the ant, causing it to abandon its colony. The ant then bites into the main vascular vein on the underside of a leaf and stays locked in that position until it dies. The fungus is then able to spread from the ant's body to the leaf in order to repeat the cycle. In 2011, four new Ophiocordyceps species were described from carpenter ants (Camponotus) in Brazil.