Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Arthropod Pathogenic Fungi

This article is an effort to bring together all of BugGuide's images of bugs that have been attacked by fungi. Clicking a thumbnail will take you to the full-sized image, which may be linked to additional images of the same individual. If you come across images that are not shown here--particularly of different fungi or different victims--please add links to them in the comments below.

Check out this video to learn a bit about Cordyceps, a mostly tropical genus of fungus that can be found in the southeastern US. (In the Amazon, there are treehoppers in the genus Bocydium that appear to mimic these fungi. Some examples are shown here.) There is more information about Cordyceps and related fungi here. There are many other types of arthropod pathogenic fungi. If you come across good information about them, please post links etc. below and I will incorporate them here.

Life cycle information, along with many references, can be found in:
Roy, H. E., D.C. Steinkraus, J. Eilenberg, A.E. Hajek, and J.K. Pell. 2006. Bizarre interactions and endgames: entomopathogenic fungi and their arthropod hosts. Annual Review of Entomology 51:331-57.

Spiders
Most, if not all, of these spiders are afflicted with species of Gibellula (a.k.a. Torrubiella). Kathie Hodge's article here shows examples of Gibellula pulchra and Nomuraea atypicola.

Cellar spiders with Engyodontium aranearum (previously identified as Torrubiella pulvinata; see discussion here)


Harvestmen
Pandora phalangicida is a harvestman-specific fungus. Also see Kathie Hodge's photo here.


Grasshoppers and Crickets
Some information about Entomophaga grylli here


Earwigs


Cockroaches


True Bugs


Leafhoppers, Planthoppers and Cicadas


Aphids


Barklice


Lacewings


Beetles


Goldenrod Soldier Beetles infected with Eryniopsis lampyridarum


Ladybugs with Laboulbeniales fungi (see more here)


Ants and Wasps


Caddisflies infected with Erynia rhizospora

This one apparently has some other kind of fungus:


Moths

Also see the bottom of this page.
Cordyceps militaris on moth pupa:

Caterpillars -- some of these may be killed by a virus or bacterium rather than a fungus:


Flies
See Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month page for Entomophthora muscae.

This still-living calliphorid appears to be in the process of succumbing to a fungus:

Snipe flies with Furia ithacensis:

Cordyceps variabilis on Xylophagidae larva:

Some infected fly larvae found in leaf litter:


Millipedes
These millipedes are victims of Arthrophaga myriapodina, described in this paper.


Miscellaneous Arthropods With Afflictions That May Or May Not Be Fungus-related


Images Submitted To This Page That Have Been Determined To Depict Victims Of Something Other Than A Fungus

Looks like...
A leafhopper:

Basidiobolus
I've solved recently a small personal mystery. I've observed at some occasion small structures on some soil arthropods: I wasn't sure it they where small eggs or conidium, but I've finally identified them as capilliconidia of Basidiobolus (Basidiobolales) fungi.

On a Trechus apicalis (Carabidae)


On Trichoniscus pusillus (Isopoda: Trichoniscidae)


Reference: Blackwell & Malloch (1989). Similarity of Amphoromorpha and Secondary Capilliconidia of Basidiobolus. Mycologia, 81(5), 735. https://doi.org/10.2307/3759878

Graphocephala

Spotted Lanternfly with Beauveria bassiana

Agonum extensicolle - Laboulbeniales

Trichoptera: Platycentropus

Closterotomus norvegicus

Toxomerus

Caddisfly

oops!
*

Piesmatidae

Mirid

 
Curious
Something I've wondered about (sometimes hard for me to tell) when I've found an insect with fungus, was the insect killed by the fungus or did the fungus come after the insect was dead?

Caddisfly

Flies
and possibly

Muscoidea

Trichotichnus autumnalis
Maybe a parasitic fungus?

Goldenrod Soldier Beetle
Chauliognathus pensylvanicus

More millipedes...
Charley, looks like perhaps you have neglected to include your own images. :)


For those that are interested, there are also many more fascinating images taken by Mike Deep of several millipedes found on the same day. All of the separate posts can be found by clicking here.

Apheloria virginiensis (Millipede)
I'm not sure if this fungus is the same as the others, but it seems likely. I have not read Kathie's article yet. (see comment below)

the new name of that millipede fungus
We recently described the very cool fungus in the northeast that kills polydesmid millipedes (Apheloria, Nannaria, Boraria). We named the fungus Arthrophaga myriapodina. Email me via the address in my profile if you'd like a reprint, or see http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022201117301842

Microvelia

Psyllobora vigintimaculata
Charley, I believe this is the first Psyllobora species recorded on BugGuide.

earwig

Millipede

Crane fly
Possible fungus kill, but not sure

[thumb:1332454]

Two planthoppers

 
Flatormenis
Isn't the nymph just naturally fuzzy?

 
It could be
It could be

Hypochilus pococki with fungus

Platycheirus

Robber fly

Barklouse

Cecidomyiidae larva with fungi

a moth

Fungus gnat larva with fungi (maybe Cordyceps?)

grasshopper with fungus

Apparent Caddisflies

 
apparent caddisflies
Thank you for shedding light on this for me. I was curious about the way the strange, outer translucent/fuzziness "sheathed" the mysterious creature beneath. It did make me think of a fungus, or some type of decay. Now I know! "Entomophagous fungi". And after looking at the link on fungi that attack caddisflies, it thoroughly makes sense. Thanks again.

a gryllacridid

another grasshopper

grasshopper

Fungi on rove beetle
A fungi on the head of a rove beetle (Carpelimus sp.)


.

unlucky fly

grasshopper

planthopper with fungus

a Chlaenius with Laboulbeniales
; on legs, elytra, pronotum, abdomen

 
More beetles with fungi
Scaphidium quadriguttatum with Laboulbeniales

Agonum extensicolle with Laboulbeniales