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Fungus that turns flies into zombies 'bewitches' healthy males to mate with fungal-infected female corpse to ensure its survival - and the longer the insect is dead, the more alluring it becomes, study finds
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • The study found 73 percent of the male flies mated with female carcasses that had died from the fungal infection between 25 to 30 hours earlier

  • Only 15 percent of the males mated with female corpses that had been dead for three hours

  • The fungus releases a chemical signature that acts as a pheromone to lure unsuspecting males

The fungus, formally known as entomophthora muscae, infects a female fly, slowly eats it alive from the inside and then in about a week, the spores take over the behavior of the now dead insect.

And once it has full control, the fungus releases a chemical signature that acts as pheromones to lure unsuspecting males.
Posted by: Skidmark 2022-07-18
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=638683