WVU researchers discover invasion of 'Zombie Cicadas' in West Virginia | Culture

A living periodical cicada (Magicicada septendecim) with an abdomen that has been replaced by the fungus Massospora cicadina.
Photo courtesy Brian Lovett
A West Virginia University research team led by Matt Kasson, associate professor of forest pathology and mycology, recently uncovered Massospora-infected “Zombie Cicadas'' in West Virginia.
Massospora is a psychedelic manipulative fungus that infects and alters the behavior of cicadas.
Brian Lovett, a postdoctoral researcher for Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, explained how the Massospora species infects cicadas by manipulating the insects’ mating cycle.
“This pathogen manipulates the behavior of cicadas such that infected males will attract uninfected males to mate with the fungus: this spreads the fungal infection,” he said. “Since the fungus is manipulating the cicadas, they are considered zombies.”

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