Ophiocordyceps clavulata, some info and pictures!
Ophiocordyceps clavulata, some info and pictures!
Ophiocordyceps clavulata is a fungi parasite of scale insects feeding on trees including Pignut Hickory and American Hazel. It grows up to 4 mm
From the very limited information on the internet it's usual habitat is North America and Canada, but has also been recorded in Sweden
All photos via eol
Any corrections please post in comments and I'll edit my post
I first misread and thought these were some Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, the ones that feed on insects and make them climb to high places so the parasite can Burst open to spread its spores.
Lovely fellows.
I'm going to do a 'mega post' or smaller of the cordiceps that infect insects over on awwnverts probably this coming week
They're fascinating things in a somewhat horrifying way, and lots of lovely photos to be discovered!
Nice, gonna look forward for it this week.
Some additional photos
Photo by Jonathan Jensen-Lynch
Photo by Jonathan Jensen-Lynch
Photo by Jonathan Jensen-Lynch
Photo by Daniel Mary
This whole post has been really neat. Thanks so much!
You're welcome and thanks for the feedback!
Awesome post! Can you tell me more about scale insects?
From wikipedia
They're quite small, the females are often flightless and without limbs, they conceal themselves under domed scales for protection. They like to suck the sap from plants, some ant species will 'farm' them for the honey dew they secrete. Some species are pests and can infest and damage the plants they feed on, while others can be used commercially....checkout one of my other posts here The oldest fossils found date to the early cretaceous.