Anyway, the fungus has cathinone, a compound similar to ephedrine, which keeps the bugs going as rampant sex-bots of destruction. It makes male cicadas flap their wings to look feminine, which encourages males to get close enough to become contaminated with the fungus, and the infected spray spores as they fly around. This could be the first example of a cathinone produced in something other than a plant.
Also:
It might have evolved this to create bugs with reduced appetites.
Something about the thread title and “It makes male cicadas flap their wings to look feminine, which encourages males to get close enough to become contaminated with the fungus”…Are we contaminated just by reading the thread?
Assuming you’re talking about appetites for eating something like the fungus, they don’t eat. They drink sap/xylem for nutrition as adults. They lack mouthparts to chew and swallow vegetation. They have what is effectively a straw to pierce things like trees and drink their sap. (Cite) They are tree mosquitos I don’t see them being much of a threat to the fungus.
The link bringing up the idea that it’s protection doesn’t specifically mention cicadas. This might just be a side effect of possible protection. It sends both the bugs that do eat the fungus and the cicadas that probably don’t on a magic carpet ride.
I always welcome more news of microbe size mind-control species. My best hope.for humanity is that we are blissed out fleshbots controlled by mushrooms when the Earth finally dies.
