The discovery of a scary zombie fungus that forces male flies to mate with dead flies!

Scientists have discovered a terrifying zombie fungus that lures male flies to mate with the carcasses of female flies.

The zombie fungus Entomophthora muscae uses a strange survival strategy that is both fascinating and terrifyingly nauseating. This mysterious mushroom, House flies It infects the material and turns it into a zombie. It then emits extremely powerful chemical signals (pheromones) that encourage male houseflies to necrophilia. As a result, male flies mate with dead female flies!

By tricking these male flies into mating with the zombified females, the fungus can be transferred to the male fly and have a better chance of dispersal and survival. After transmission, the unlucky male fly is similarly zombified by E. muscae and eventually dies.

To initiate this process, the release of terpenes or chemical messages is important; Substances synthesized in the body of the female fly and sent as a seductive signal to the male. According to experiments conducted by researchers, the older and older the corpse is, the more attractive it is to the male fly!

Henrik Deffinlicht, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, says:

Chemical signals from the fungus act as pheromones for the insect. As if they have bewitched the male flies to mate with the dead carcass of the female with an incredible desire.

A zombie fly infected with fungus

Once E. muscae infects the female fly with its spores, it begins to reproduce. After about six days, this zombie fungus can control the insect’s behavior and send it to the highest possible point (on a wall or plant) before it dies. Then the mushroom spores separate from the dead fly and fly away hoping to land on another fly.

But as this new study shows, by tricking a male, E. muscae can ensure that it transfers to at least one other host. The event that causes the spores of this zombie fungus to be transferred to new environments and find new hosts.

The team used different types of chemical analysis and genetic sequencing techniques to understand the exact mechanism of this fungus. They exposed male flies to female counterparts that were in various stages of fungal infection or had died from other causes.

Deffinlicht says:

Our observations prove that this process is a completely deliberate strategy on the part of the zombie fungus. Indeed, this mushroom is considered a master of trickery and trickery, and this subject is extremely attractive!

Experiments showed that the corpses of female flies that had been dead for 3 to 8 hours attracted 15 percent of the male flies. While this figure reached 73% in flies that were dead for 25 to 30 hours. As time passed, more and stronger chemical signals were emitted.

A microscopic image of a zombie mushroom

This is not the first time that scientists have noticed the use of terpenes to attract the attention of insects. Chemical signals seem to be one of the most effective ways to lure these little creatures. It is clear that no living thing uses these pheromones for its survival as well as the zombie fungus.

There are many opportunities for further research in this area, especially the development of more effective insect repellents. As you know, flies are capable of infecting humans with various diseases and terpenes can be used to lure flies away from important places such as food preparation areas.

“This is where Entomophthora muscae can come in handy,” says Definlicht. “It is possible that we can use these same fungal scents as a new method of biological pest control that attracts healthy males to fly traps instead of corpses.”

The full version of this research in the journal ISME It’s been published.