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The haunting hollow skeleton of a fly is all that remains after being consumed alive by a parasitoid fungi (Ophiocordyceps cf. dipterigena) in the New Guinean rainforest. Two different types of fruiting bodies have emerged from the fly's body: the dorsal 'mushrooms' (ascostroma) are perfectly positioned to release tiny spores on the fungi's next victim. The tropics hold a great diversity of these entomopathogenic fungi, with undoubtedly many undescribed species, each apparently tailored to target specific insect hosts. West Papua, Indonesia.
- Copyright
- © Chien C. Lee
- Image Size
- 4684x3123 / 5.7MB
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- Keywords
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Ascomycota, Diptera, Hypocreales, Indonesia, Insecta, Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Ophiocordycipitaceae, Papua Barat, Sordariomycetes, Southeast Asia, West Papua, Western New Guinea, animal, arthropod, entomopathogenic, entomopathogenic fungus, fauna, fly, fungi, fungus, insect, invertebrate, parasit, parasite, parasitic, parasitism, tropical
- Contained in galleries
- Insects, Interactions, New Guinea, Parasites & Parasitoids, Fungi
