The Fungus That Eats the Fungus That Eats the Ant

Deep in a Bornean rainforest, researchers found a fungus that parasitizes the fungus that hijacks ants and bursts from their bodies. The food chain here has a sense of drama.

The discovery came out of field trips by researchers at the University of Malaysia Sabah's Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation. What they found was Pleurocordyceps cornusynnemata, a new species named for the horn-shaped structures it sprouts. Its target is Ophiocordyceps, the zombie fungus that manipulates ant nervous systems and eventually erupts from their bodies. Rather than hijacking the insect itself, Pleurocordyceps infiltrates and feeds directly on the Ophiocordyceps tissue thriving inside the host.

That makes it a hyperparasite: a parasite that feeds on another parasite rather than taking the host for itself. The ant, in this scenario, is less a victim than a venue.

It is not the first hyperparasite of its kind, but it is the first known member of its genus to feature those distinctive horn-shaped structures. The research was published in Phytotaxa. The same field trips also turned up a new species of spider-killing fungus that spreads spores through a spider before killing it.

Why does any of this matter beyond the fact that it is deeply, wonderfully unsettling? Researchers say these newly documented fungi could help them develop new anti-microbial super drugs and agents to control pests in farming.

The Danum Valley has been running a multi-level parasite scheme. Scientists see the problem-solving potential of that sentence.

Read the full story at The Debrief, June 22, 2026

Hot Take: Every time someone describes a find as nature's horror story, they're skipping the part where something else evolved specifically to eat it, which means strong checks-and-balances are operating as intended. Honestly, that's more reassuring than anything happening with human-engineered activities.