Ant Killer Fungus

Different killer fungus from the description below... but this fungus attack ants as well.

BBC Video [link]

It could be the plot from a straight-to-DVD horror movie - a fungus slowly turns host creatures into zombies before killing them off.

But such parasites are a reality and are destroying colonies of ants in the Amazonian rainforest. The fungus latches on to carpenter ants as they cross the forest floor before returning to their nests high in the canopy.

The fungus then grows inside the ants, taking over their bodies and releasing chemicals to alter their behaviour. Some of the insects wander off to find fresh leaves, while others fall from the tree tops on to leaves nearer the ground.

It is all part of the mechanism used by the fungus to ensure its spores are spread as far and wide as possible.

The final stage of the parasitic death sentence is particularly grim. The fungus will 'guide' the infected ant to a leaf and lock their mandibles in a 'death grip' around the central vein, immobilising themselves and locking the fungus in position.

Once an ant has died, the fungus sprouts from its head and produces a pod of spores, which are dropped at night on to the forest floor.

The fungus cannot grow high up in the canopy or on the forest floor, but infected ants often die on leaves midway between the two, where the humidity and temperature suit the fungus.
Source [link]