A fungus preying on a fungus, locked in its own evolutionary arms race
In the ancient, layered darkness of Borneo's Danum Valley, scientists have found a creature that turns predation back upon itself — a fungus that hunts the hunter, parasitizing the very organism already busy reanimating the dead. The discovery of Pleurocordyceps cornusynnemata, named for its horn-like form, reminds us that nature's complexity does not merely exceed our imagination but actively outruns it. In cataloguing such relationships, researchers make the case that conservation is not sentiment but strategy — that the cures and tools of tomorrow may already exist, waiting in ecosystems we have not yet thought to protect.
- A fungus that turns insects into zombies has itself become prey — a newly identified hyperparasite infiltrates and feeds on Ophiocordyceps while it is still at work inside its host.
- Found only after multiple expeditions into Borneo's remote interior, the species represents a web of ecological relationships so intricate that scientists are only beginning to map its edges.
- The same field trips also surfaced a previously unknown spider-killing fungus, suggesting the Danum Valley is less a studied ecosystem than an open archive of undiscovered life.
- Researchers are now weighing the practical stakes: these fungi may yield antimicrobial drugs and biocontrol agents at a moment when both are urgently needed.
- The discovery lands as a quiet argument for conservation — each acre of rainforest lost may erase relationships, and species, that science has not yet had the chance to name.
Deep in the rainforests of Malaysian Borneo, researchers from the University of Malaysia Sabah have identified a fungus that does something almost paradoxical: it parasitizes a parasite. Working through the remote Danum Valley, they found an organism that feeds on Ophiocordyceps — the notorious zombie fungus — while it is still in the process of killing its insect host.
Ophiocordyceps operates like something from science fiction, invading an insect's nervous system, warping its behavior into erratic, purposeless movement, then killing it from within and erupting from the corpse. The newly discovered hyperparasite takes a different path entirely. Rather than manipulating neurology, it infiltrates the living tissue of the Ophiocordyceps already present and feeds directly on it. The species was named Pleurocordyceps cornusynnemata for its distinctive horn-shaped structure — the first member of its genus known to display such a feature.
The find did not stand alone. During the same expeditions, scientists also documented a previously unknown fungus that hunts spiders, spreading through the arachnid before killing it. Together, the discoveries point to an ecosystem of staggering, largely uncharted complexity.
Beyond scientific novelty, the fungi carry practical promise. Researchers suggest they could serve as sources for next-generation antimicrobial drugs and as biocontrol agents against agricultural pests — making their existence an argument for protecting the forests that shelter them. For those unsettled by memories of televised zombie-fungus apocalypses, experts are reassuring: human body temperature alone is enough to stop Ophiocordyceps cold. The real drama, it turns out, is already strange enough — a fungus preying on a fungus, locked in an evolutionary arms race in the dark of the jungle, waiting to be found.
Deep in the rainforests of Malaysian Borneo, scientists have uncovered a fungus that does something almost unimaginable: it parasitizes a parasite. Researchers from the University of Malaysia Sabah's Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation discovered the new species while conducting field expeditions through the remote Danum Valley in Sabah, the northern portion of the island. What they found was a fungus that feeds on another fungus—one already busy turning insects into the walking dead.
The organism they identified belongs to a genus called Pleurocordyceps, and it targets ants that have already fallen victim to Ophiocordyceps, the notorious "zombie fungus." That primary pathogen operates through a mechanism that reads like science fiction: it invades an insect's nervous system, warping its behavior until the creature moves erratically and without purpose, then kills it from the inside and erupts from the corpse. The newly discovered hyperparasite, by contrast, takes a different approach. Rather than hijacking the insect's neurology, it infiltrates the living tissue of the Ophiocordyceps fungus already present in the host and feeds directly on it. The researchers named the species Pleurocordyceps cornusynnemata after its most distinctive feature—a structure shaped like a horn.
Jaya Seelan Sathiya Seelan, the institute's Deputy Director, explained to AFP that the fungus "effectively parasitizes the primary pathogen." The discovery was published in the New Zealand Journal of Botany following multiple collection trips, and the research also appeared in Phytotaxa, a leading journal in taxonomic botany, in April. While hyperparasites of this general type are not entirely unknown to science, this particular species marks the first documented member of its genus to display such a pronounced horn-shaped structure.
The finding is not isolated. During the same field expeditions, scientists also identified a previously unknown species of fungus that hunts spiders, spreading its spores through the arachnid before ultimately killing it. These discoveries underscore something researchers have long suspected: Borneo's rainforests contain vast ecological complexity still waiting to be catalogued and understood. The researchers noted in a social media post that the work "highlights the immense scientific value of Borneo's rainforests, where intricate ecological interactions continue to challenge our understanding of life on Earth."
Beyond the sheer novelty of the find, these fungi may have practical applications. Seelan pointed out that the newly documented species hold potential as sources for developing next-generation antimicrobial drugs and as effective biocontrol agents against agricultural pests. The discovery thus becomes an argument for conservation—tropical ecosystems harbor countless species and relationships yet to be documented, and some of those relationships may eventually benefit human health and food security.
For those who have watched HBO's "The Last of Us" and wondered whether cordyceps fungi might one day threaten humanity, experts offer reassurance. Dr. Jim Kronstad, a microbiologist at the University of British Columbia, notes that human body temperature—98.6 degrees Fahrenheit—presents an insurmountable barrier. Cordyceps fungi cannot survive at that temperature, and the human immune system provides additional protection. The scenario depicted in the television series remains firmly in the realm of fiction. The real story unfolding in Borneo's jungles is stranger in its own way: a fungus preying on a fungus, each locked in its own evolutionary arms race, waiting in the darkness of the rainforest for the next scientist to stumble upon it.
Notable Quotes
The fungus effectively parasitizes the primary pathogen, infiltrating and feeding directly on the thriving Ophiocordyceps tissue inside the host.— Jaya Seelan Sathiya Seelan, Deputy Director, Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation
These newly documented fungi hold immense potential as sources for developing next-generation antimicrobial drugs and as highly effective biocontrol agents against agricultural pests.— Jaya Seelan Sathiya Seelan
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
So this fungus preys on another fungus. How does that even work? What's the mechanism?
The zombie fungus—Ophiocordyceps—has already invaded an ant's nervous system and is living inside it. The new hyperparasite doesn't bother with the ant's brain. It just infiltrates the zombie fungus tissue itself and feeds on it directly. It's parasitism at a remove.
And they found this in Borneo. Why is Borneo such a hotbed for these discoveries?
The rainforests there are extraordinarily biodiverse and still largely unexplored. Scientists have barely scratched the surface. Every expedition yields new species because the ecosystem is so complex and so old.
What makes this particular fungus worth naming and publishing?
It has a distinctive horn-shaped structure that no other member of its genus has ever shown. That's novel enough to warrant formal description. But also, it's a window into ecological relationships we didn't know existed.
You mentioned antimicrobial drugs. How would a fungus that kills other fungi help us?
If it can kill or inhibit pathogenic fungi, we might be able to extract or synthesize compounds from it for medical use. Or use it directly as a biocontrol agent in agriculture instead of chemical pesticides.
Is there any reason to be concerned about this thing?
Not for humans. Our body temperature alone makes us inhospitable to cordyceps fungi. They evolved to infect insects, and that's where they stay. The real concern is if we destroy the rainforests before we even know what's there.