Scientists have discovered two ancient parasitic fungi that were once thought to be a rare phenomenon, but have been found frozen in amber over 100 million years ago. The fossils, now housed at the London Natural History Museum, provide significant insight into the evolution of these “zombie” fungi.
The newly identified species, Paleoophiocordyceps gerontoformicae and P. ironomyiae, share traits with their modern relatives that infect insects to spread their spores. The fungus appears to have separated from its Ophiocordyceps relative around 130 million years ago.
According to paleoentomologist Edmund Jarzembowski, the fossil evidence suggests that these fungi adapted to two different insect hosts – an ant and a fly – over 100 million years ago. This jump to new insects likely occurred as plants diversified and new insect groups emerged with the rise of flowering plants.
The discovery was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/zombie-fungus-caught-bursting-from-host-bodies-99-million-years-ago