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- ›Sordariomycetes
- ›Hypocreomycetidae
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- ›Ophiocordycipitaceae
- ›Ophiocordyceps
Zombie-Ant Fungi
Ophiocordyceps unilateralis
Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, commonly known as zombie-ant fungus, is an insect-pathogenic fungus, discovered by the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in 1859. Zombie ants, infected by the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus, are predominantly found in tropical rainforests.
These fungi thrive in warm, humid environments, which are ideal for their growth and reproduction. However, they can also be found in warm-temperate forest systems. The fungus primarily targets ants from the tribe Camponotini, including carpenter ants (genus Camponotus).
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
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
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.