Codyceps Illustrations
With a recent botanical themed assignment at uni, I chose to illustrate a morbidly fascinating entomopathogen, or insect-pathogenising fungus known as Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis. Also referred to as 'Zombie Fungus' it infects ants of the Camponotini tribe, with the full pathogenesis being characterised by alteration of the behavioural patters of the infected ant. Infected hosts leave their nests and foraging trails for the forest floor, an area with a temperature and humidity suitable for fungal growth, they then use their mandible to affix themselves to a major vein on the underside of a leaf, where the host remains until it's eventual death.
The process leading to mortality takes 4 - 10 days, and includes a reproductive stage where fruiting bodies grow from the ants head, rupturing to release the fungus' spores.There are thousands of different and unique strands of cordyceps, each targeting a particular arthropod. Nature's way of keeping the balance, as the larger a certain species gets, the more likely they are to get infected. Nature is truely amazing.
Digital mockup
