The hunter becomes the hunted: Malaysian scientists discover hyperparasite that preys on ‘zombie fungus’ in Sabah’s Danum Valley

KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 — Malaysian scientists have discovered a new species of parasitic fungus in Borneo’s jungles that preys on “zombie fungus” that are known to infect insects before subjecting them to a gruesome death.

The new species was collected during multiple field trips conducted by the University of Malaysia Sabah’s Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation.

It was dubbed a “hyperparasite” because it “effectively parasitises the primary pathogen,” the institute’s Deputy Director Jaya Seelan Sathiya Seelan told AFP today.

“The fungus belongs to the genus Pleurocordyceps and acts as a specialised hyperparasite,” Seelan said.

The new species targets ants already infected by Ophiocordyceps, or “zombie fungus”, which manipulates the infected insect’s nervous system and makes it behave erratically before killing it and bursting from its carcass.

“Rather than manipulating the insect’s nervous system itself, Pleurocordyceps infiltrates and feeds directly on the thriving Ophiocordyceps tissue inside the host,” Seelan said.

Named after its unique, distinctly horn-shaped structure, Pleurocordyceps cornusynnemata was discovered after scientists studied a dead ant collected from the Danum Valley, a remote area in southern Sabah.

The discovery was also published in Phytotaxa, the leading journal in taxonomic botany, in April.

It is not the first hyperparasite of its kind, but “it is the world’s first known member of its genus to feature this highly distinct horn-shaped structure”, Seelan said.

During the field trips, scientists also discovered a new species of spider-killing fungus, which spreads spores through the arachnid before killing it.

“These newly documented fungi hold immense potential... both as sources for developing next-generation antimicrobial drugs and as highly effective biocontrol agents against agricultural pests,” Seelan said. — AFP