''Gibellula pulchra'' is a species of

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

fungus found on

arachnid Arachnids are arthropods in the Class (biology), class Arachnida () of the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnida includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, opiliones, harvestmen, Solifugae, camel spiders, Amblypygi, wh ...

s. The species ''Gibellula pulchra'' is commonly found around the world. The genus ''Gibellula'' was named after Prof. Giuseppe Gibelli. Some researchers have mistaken '' Gibellula suffulata'' as ''Gibellula pulchra'' though they are different species from the same genus that both prey on arachnids. Specimens of ''Gibellula pulchra'' from North America are held in various collections facilities: the Herbarium of the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, Herbarium of

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, Mycological Collection of the U.S. Bureau of Plant Industry, Herbarium of the

New York Botanical Garden The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, ...

, and

Farlow Herbarium The Farlow Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany is an herbarium and library at Harvard University with about 1,400,000 specimens, including approximately 75,000 types, of lichens, fungi, bryophytes, diatoms, and algae.Farlow Herbarium, Harvard Univers ...

Habitat

Like other

ascomycetes Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The de ...

, ''Gibellula pulchra'' can be found under stones, bark, leaves, on decaying logs, or in hidden burrows of plant matter on the forest floor. Often ''Gibellula pulchra'' is more clearly identified after entering an arachnid, enveloping their host, and growing on their cadavers. Once a spider dies from the ''Gibellula pulchra'' pathogenic fungi, ''G. pulchra'' produces a large fruiting body out of the cadaver.

Biology

Gibellula is a parasitoid from the Cordycipitaceae family. In order to attach to a host, ''Gibellula pulchra'' sends out spores. When an unlucky spider comes in contact with a spore from ''Gibellula pulchra'', the spores germinate on and envelop the spider host. After germinating, ''Gibellula pulchra'' penetrates the host body with a yellow coat of

mycelium Mycelium (: mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Its normal form is that of branched, slender, entangled, anastomosing, hyaline threads. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are fo ...

and digests the spider from the inside out. When the spider has died, stiff lavender clavae begin to shoot up out of the spider cadaver. ''Gibellula pulchra'' does not digest the exoskeletons of arachnids which is why the shape of the spider is still visible after ''Gibellula pulchra'' has enveloped and killed its host. Not long after the spider host dies, the colors of the mycelium and clavae fade to a cream or ashy color.

References

Note sur Gibellula pulchra (Hypocreales), un hyphomycète parasite des araignéesCurtis's botanical magazine
{{Taxonbar, from=Q10504778 Cordycipitaceae Parasitic fungi Fungi described in 1877 Taxa named by Pier Andrea Saccardo Fungus species