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iNat·985910complexFungi2,892 field observations
  1. Fungi Including Lichens
  2. ›Ascomycete Fungi
  3. ›Sac Fungi and Lichens
  4. ›Sordariomycetes
  5. ›Hypocreomycetidae
  6. ›Hypocreales
  7. ›Ophiocordycipitaceae
  8. ›Ophiocordyceps
Zombie-Ant Fungi
Plate 1 of 5. (c) Joe Girgente, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Joe Girgente · via iNaturalist

Zombie-Ant Fungi

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is an insect-pathogenic fungus, discovered by the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in 1859, and currently found predominantly in tropical forest ecosystems. O. unilateralis infects ants of the Camponotini tribe, with the full pathogenesis being characterized by alteration of the behavioral patterns of the infected ant. Infected hosts leave their canopy nests and foraging trails for the forest floor, an area with a temperature and humidity suitable for fungal growth; they then use their

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25 branches of this group, most-observed first

Ophiocordyceps kimflemingiae

speciesOphiocordyceps kimflemingiae

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-floridani

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-floridani

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-atricipis

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-atricipis

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis

speciesOphiocordyceps unilateralis

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-renggeri

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-renggeri

Ophiocordyceps ootakii

speciesOphiocordyceps ootakii

Ophiocordyceps halabalaensis

speciesOphiocordyceps halabalaensis

Ophiocordyceps blakebarnesii

speciesOphiocordyceps blakebarnesii

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-nidulantis

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-nidulantis

Ophiocordyceps satoi

speciesOphiocordyceps satoi

Ophiocordyceps albacongiuae

speciesOphiocordyceps albacongiuae

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-chartificis

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-chartificis

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-melanotici

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-melanotici

Ophiocordyceps pulvinata

speciesOphiocordyceps pulvinata

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-novogranadensis

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-novogranadensis

Ophiocordyceps naomipierceae

speciesOphiocordyceps naomipierceae

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-bispinosi

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-bispinosi

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-indiani

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-indiani

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-hippocrepidis

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-hippocrepidis

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-femorati

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-femorati

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-sexguttati

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-sexguttati

Ophiocordyceps rami

speciesOphiocordyceps rami

Ophiocordyceps septa

speciesOphiocordyceps septa

Ophiocordyceps camponoti-balzani

speciesOphiocordyceps camponoti-balzani

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Where it lives

Recorded sightings

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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.

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In the stacks

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Every page naming Ophiocordyceps unilateralis in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →

This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 985910.