Zombie Fly Fungus Lures Healthy Male Flies to Mate With Female Corpses
upstart writes:
Research Shows Unique Tactic of Zombie Fly Fungus To Survive Longer:
Zombie Fly Fungus Lures Healthy Male Flies to Mate With Female CorpsesA common pathogenic fungus called Entomophthora muscae lives by infecting common houseflies with lethal spores.
Research now revealed that the fungus has a special strategy to secure its life.
When exposed to the fungal-infected carcasses of dead females, the fungus "bewitches" male houseflies and induces necrophilia in them.
upstart writes:
Zombie fly fungus lures healthy male flies to mate with female corpses:
Entomophthora muscae is a widespread, pathogenic fungus that survives by infecting common houseflies with deadly spores. Now, research shows that the fungus has a unique tactic to ensure for its survival. The fungus 'bewitches' male houseflies and drives them to necrophilia with the fungal-infected corpses of dead females.
After having infected a female fly with its spores, the fungus spreads until its host has slowly been consumed alive from within. After roughly six days, the fungus takes over the behavior of the female fly and forces it to the highest point, whether upon vegetation or a wall, where the fly then dies. When the fungus has killed the zombie female, it begins to release chemical signals known as sesquiterpenes.
Journal Reference:
Naundrup, Andreas, Bohman, Bjorn, Kwadha, Charles A., et al. Pathogenic fungus uses volatiles to entice male flies into fatal matings with infected female cadavers, The ISME Journal (DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01284-x)
Original Submission #1 Original Submission #2
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.