Researchers have identified a new form of zombie fungus that is infecting spiders in Irish caves. According to the study published in Fungal Systematics and Evolution, the spider species were found in different “ecological niches within the caves.”
While filming a BBC nature program — Winterwatch — the crew came across a spider infected with a fungus. The white fungus looked like frost or coral had grown from the spider’s body. Now, after further study, researchers have identified it as a possible zombie fungus and have named it after long-time presenter and nature advocate Sir David Attenborough.
A New Zombie Fungus
A zombie fungus sounds like something straight out of science fiction; however, a fungus like this isn’t new to science. Another fungus species, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis infects ants in the Amazon rainforest and takes control of their bodies. However, the fungus leaves the brain untouched. Instead, it controls the ant’s limbs and forces it to typically climb foliage above the ant nest and uses the ant to create spores that then sprinkle on the other ants below.
It’s rather terrifying stuff. Cordyceps fungi are even used in the video game and TV show, The Last of Us, where the fungus infects human hosts and creates the end of the world. Luckily, cordyceps can’t infect a human host in reality.
When it comes to this new fungus, it looks like something out of a horror film, especially since it’s controlling spiders. Researchers identified the novel fungus on two types of spiders inside of a cave system in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The spiders are known as orb-weaving cave spiders, Metellina merianae (Tetragnathidae: Araneae), a species found in parts of Europe and West Asia, and Meta menardi, a species found around Europe.
Read More: How a Zombie-Ant Fungus Can Infect a Host
Infecting Spiders
Researchers first noticed that the spiders were on the cave’s ceiling, which was unusual since these spiders have been typically reclusive and tended to stay in their webs. The fact that they were all found in exposed positions indicates that the fungus may have possessed them to move. According to the study, all the spiders were found dead, likely due to exposure on cave ceilings or by a rocky lake shore in Wales.
The findings lead researchers to believe that the fungus infected the spiders, similar to the way O. unilateralis infected the ants in Brazil. The fungus likely propelled the spiders to leave their webs and crawl to a point where the fungal spores could easily fall and spread. The researchers even say that the position in the cave could expose the spores to air currents and help them spread further.
More research is needed on how this fungus could impact the population of these spiders. Spiders play a key role in the ecosystem, and losing them could cause untold ecological shifts.
What’s in a Name
Researchers have named this fungus Gibellula attenboroughii. It is “named after the broadcaster and natural historian Sir David Attenborough, a pioneer of BBC natural history programs, who – in his role as controller of BBC 2 – helped to develop the Natural History Unit, leading, indirectly, to the present nature series during which the new species was first discovered," said Harry Evans an Emeritus fellow at CAB International and lead author of the study in a press release.
With this study, researchers have also identified a “hidden diversity within the genus Gibellula in the British Isles,” according to a press release. Understanding how this fungus infects its host is key to understanding it’s impact on spider populations.
Read More: Frogs Kick Back Against Lethal Fungus
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
Fungal Systematics and Evolution. The araneopathogenic genus Gibellula (Cordycipitaceae: Hypocreales) in the British Isles, including a new zombie species on orb-weaving cave spiders (Metainae: Tetragnathidae)
A graduate of UW-Whitewater, Monica Cull wrote for several organizations, including one that focused on bees and the natural world, before coming to Discover Magazine. Her current work also appears on her travel blog and Common State Magazine. Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.
