A group of scientists recently found something new and terrifying in a cave in the North of Ireland — the fuzzy corpse of a zombified spider, infected with a mind-controlling fungus not unlike the cordyceps strain that hijacks ants and leads them to their deaths.
The fungus has been named Gibellula attenboroughii, in honor of beloved British broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. Lead mycologist João Araújo is apparently a huge fan of Attenborough's gentle narration, and claims that Attenborough's cordyceps documentary inspired him to become a scientist. How sweet!
More about that fun guy, from Phys.org:
Subsequently, the spider host was identified as the orb-weaving cave spider, Metellina merianae (Tetragnathidae: Araneae), and—through the help of a local speleologist—further specimens of the new species, Gibellula attenboroughii, were found in cave systems in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as on a related spider, Meta menardi, occupying different ecological niches within the caves.
Like the type specimen, originally located on the ceiling of a gunpowder store, all the infected spiders were positioned on the roof or walls of the caves. These normally reclusive spiders left their lairs or webs and migrated to die in exposed situations, essentially, mirroring the behavior of ants infected by fungi of the genus Ophiocordyceps previously reported from the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil.
I'm not exactly sure how this differs from that other fungus known to hijack spider corpses in dark, dank locations, Engyodontium aranearum, except that one was found in North America, rather than Ireland. ScienceNews also noted that:
This was the first known Gibellula found in cave spiders, showing it occupies a unique niche, Araújo says. Additionally, physical characteristics of the fungus's structures, such as the fruiting bodies and spore-producing cells, and distinctions in its DNA suggested the species stood out.
[…]
Moreover, G. attenboroughii–infected cave spiders, which also include Meta menardi, typically hide away in their webs, Araújo notes. Because the zombified spiders traveled to cave entrances before dying, he and his colleagues hypothesize that the fungus drove the arachnids there because the airflow helps to disperse spores.
I'm only slightly disappointed these fungal zombie spiders weren't discovered in Uaimh na gCat, the Irish cave once believed to be the gateway to Hell and possible birthplace of Samhain. But I suppose there's still a chance!
Newly discovered fungal species makes zombies of cave spiders on island of Ireland [Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux International / Phys.org]
The araneopathogenic genus Gibellula (Cordycipitaceae: Hypocreales) in the British Isles, including a new zombie species on orb-weaving cave spiders (Metainae: Tetragnathidae) [Evans, H.C., Fogg, T., Buddie, A.G., Yeap, Y.T., and Araújo, J.P.M. / The Journal of Fungal Systematics and Evolution.
A fungus named after Sir David Attenborough zombifies cave spiders [McKenzie Prillaman / ScienceNews]
