July 16, 2013 - Shrooms Extraordinaire

[xoxoxoBruce]

The Malay Moth Eater...

Believe it or not, this is another moth, though not in as good condition as the previous two!

This one has become infected with a fungus, which has eventually taken over the whole insect, finally producing the fruiting bodies you see here, one sticking out from the head and others looking just like little pins holding the moth to the leaf.

This sort of thing is relatively common in the tropics, and in fact different species of fungi specialize in parasitizing different insects.

Ants which show signs of fungal infection will be carried by their colleagues far away from the nest, to prevent the spores from spreading throughout the colony.