Scientists identified a new fungus, Gibellula attenboroughii, infecting cave spiders in Ireland. The fungus manipulates spider behavior, resembling “zombie-ant fungi.”
Dr. Harry Evans, Emeritus Fellow at CAB International, led a team of scientists—including experts from the Natural History Museum of Denmark and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew—in a study to identify a fungus discovered on a spider during the filming of the BBC Winterwatch series in Northern Ireland.
Through morphological and molecular analysis, the researchers confirmed the fungus as a previously unknown species and: “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.”
Identification of the Spider Host and Additional Findings
Subsequently, the spider host was identified as the orb-weaving cave spider, Metellina merianae (Tetragnathidae: Araneae), and – through the help of a local speleologist – further specimens of the new species, Gibellula attenboroughii, were found in cave systems in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as on a related spider, Meta menardi, occupying different ecological niches within the caves.
Like the type specimen, originally located on the ceiling of a gunpowder store, all the infected spiders were positioned on the roof or walls of the caves. These normally reclusive spiders had left their lairs or webs and migrated to die in exposed situations: essentially, mirroring the behaviour of ants infected by fungi of the genus Ophiocordyceps previously reported from the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil.
Parallels with ‘Zombie-Ant Fungi’
Such manipulation of the host in order to favor dispersal of the fungal spores engendered the description of ‘zombie-ant fungi’ and led to the publication of a number of zombie-fungus-themed books, as well as to a popular video game and the television series, The Last of Us. Behavioral-changing metabolites, such as dopamine, have since been identified in cultures of zombie-ant fungi of the genus Ophiocordyceps.
Published in the journal Fungal Systematics and Evolution, the scientists also used historical herbarium records and literature searches to uncover a hidden diversity within the genus Gibellula in the British Isles, along with evidence of widespread disease epidemics on spiders in Norfolk and Wales. It was concluded that: “their role in spider-population dynamics warrants further study, as does the metabolites they produce which enable them to exploit such a highly specific ecological niche.”
Reference: “The araneopathogenic genus Gibellula (Cordycipitaceae: Hypocreales) in the British Isles, including a new zombie species on orb-weaving cave spiders (Metainae: Tetragnathidae)” by H. C. Evans, T. Fogg, A. G. Buddie, Y. T. Yeap and J. P. M. Araújo, 24 January 2025, Fungal Systematics and Evolution.
DOI: 10.3114/fuse.2025.15.07
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2 Comments
Can it hurry up and affect humans so jellyfish can take over or something. Like this is not going well
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