title: Zombie bugs? The fungus Purpureocillium cf. lilacinum may manipulate the behavior of its host bug Edessa rufomarginata.
abstract: Just before dying, Edessa rufomarginata (Hemiptera, Pentotomidae) individuals that are infected with the fungus Purpureocillium cf. lilacinum (Ascomycota: Ophiocordycipitaceae) move from the leaves onto the stems of their Solanum sp. host and firmly grasp the stems in ways seldom employed by uninfected bugs. These alterations in host behavior probably improve the chances that the subsequently produced fungal spores will be dispersed aerially. Purpureocillium cf. lilacinum is a member of the Ophiocordycipitaceae, a group in which other species also modify the behavior of their hosts. As in the case of newly distinguished relatives of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis associated with "zombie ants" the discovery of P. cf. lilacinum infecting bugs reveals that P. lilacinum may be more diverse than previously appreciated.
authors.affiliation: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria, Costa Rica, and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 william.eberhard@gmail.com.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Eberhard
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Ecología de Plantas, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontifica Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Apartado 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pacheco-Esquivel
authors.affiliation: Center for Conservation Education and Sustainability, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 705, Washington, DC 20013-7012.
authors.forename: Farah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carrasco-Rueda
authors.affiliation: Center for Biodiversity and Drug Discovery, Institute for Scientific Research and High Technology Science, City of Knowledge, P.O. Box 0843-01103, Panama.
authors.forename: Yuliana
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Christopher
authors.affiliation: Center for Biodiversity and Drug Discovery, Institute for Scientific Research and High Technology Science, City of Knowledge, P.O. Box 0843-01103, Panama.
authors.forename: Cely
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí-Manta, Ecuador Calle 12, Vía San Mateo, Manta, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803.
authors.forename: Hector
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Urbina
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803.
authors.forename: Meredith
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blackwell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020062:Heteroptera / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006999:Hypocreales / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013172:Spores, Fungal
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer
keywords: Costa Rica; insect; parasitic manipulation; pentatomid bug