Fulgoroidea Frenzy

People get foot fungus, and insects get fungal infections too.

A paper was published in 2015 about this topic, and specifically fungi that attack some Fulgoridae.

Authors: Tatiana I. Sanjuan, Ana E. Franco-Molano, Ryan M. Kepler, Joseph W. Spatafora, Javier Tabima, Aída M. Vasco-Palacios, Silvia Restrepo

Paper name: Five new species of entomopathogenic fungi from the Amazon and evolution of neotropical Ophiocordyceps

Publication: Fungal Biology, Volume 119, Issue 10, October 2015, Pages 901–916.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878614615001099

Abstract:

The neotropical biogeographic zone is a ‘hot spot’ of global biodiversity, especially for insects. Fungal pathogens of insects appear to track this diversity. However, the integration of this unique component of fungal diversity into molecular phylogenetic analyses remains sparse. The entomopathogenic fungal genus Ophiocordyceps is species rich in this region with the first descriptions dating to the early nineteenth century. In this study, material from various ecosystems throughout Colombia and Ecuador was examined. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of five nuclear loci including SSU, LSU, TEF, RPB1, and RPB2 were conducted alongside a morphological evaluation. Thirty-five specimens were examined representing fifteen different species of Ophiocordyceps, and five new species, Ophiocordyceps blattarioides, Ophiocordyceps tiputini, Ophiocordyceps araracuarensis, Ophiocordyceps fulgoromorphila, and Ophiocordyceps evansii, were described. An accurate identification of the host allowed us to conclude that host identity and host habitat are positively correlated with phylogenetic species of Ophiocordyceps and are probably strong drivers for speciation of neotropical entomopathogenic fungi.