What’s in Your Head, Zombie? Camponotus renggeri Ants Parasitized by the Entomopathogenic Fungus Ophiocordyceps camponoti-renggeri in a Relic of Atlantic Forest in Caatinga Biome, Brazil

Abstract

Entomopathogenic fungi are widely known to parasitize and manipulate the behavior of various orders of arthropods. In this study, we recorded parasitism involving the entomopathogenic fungus Ophiocordyceps camponoti-renggeri and host ants of the species Camponotus renggeri in a relic of Atlantic Forest in Caatinga biome, in addition to characterizing the environmental and ecological aspects of the interaction. We found 210 infected ant workers, fixed predominantly on the margins of the abaxial face of leaves of the local vegetation. Most ants used simple phyllotaxis leaves for fixation and death, whose size varied widely. The parasitized ants died about 1.5 m above the ground. These results suggest that Ophiocordyceps camponoti-renggeri has high virulence and that the behavioral changes induced in its hosts favor their fitness.