Multiple hyperparasite species can be associated with a single Ophiocordyceps–ant species pair. Three species – Pseudogibellula formicarum, Torrubiella
carnata/liberiana/pseudogibellulae (Hypocreales), and Sporothrix
insectorum (Ophiostomatales) – were found on Ophiocordyceps
paltothyrei, which infects Palthothyreus tarsatus ants in Ghana
(Araújo et al., 2020). Additionally, two recently described
hyperparasite species, Niveomyces coronatus and Torrubiellomyces zombiae, are associated with Ophiocordyceps camponoti-floridani, infecting and manipulating
the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus in Florida, USA (Araújo et al., 2022). This suggests that future work on the
hyperparasites of zombie-ant fungi will likely reveal a wealth of
undescribed species that could be mined for their abilities to affect
animal-infecting fungi.
Beyond documenting their diversity, the extent to which hyperparasites
affect the life span and transmission of their Ophiocordyceps hosts, as well as their molecular and cellular mechanisms remain to be
investigated. A field study on O. camponoti-floridani suggests
that both hyperparasites associated with this ant parasite co-occur in
the same wilderness areas and harshly limit its transmission chances;
when hyperparasitized, 10–40% of ant cadavers were observed with
perithecia of O. camponoti–floridani, while this percentage was
significantly higher (76%) in non-parasitized Ophiocordyceps (Will et al., 2022). However, only 4% of Ophiocordyceps-manipulated ant cadavers had visible hyperparasite
growth within the 1-year timespan of the study. Moreover, while new T. zombiae infections were found year-round, N. coronatus appeared to have a more seasonal occurrence (Will et al., 2022).
The disease dynamics of hyperparasites associated
with Ophiocordyceps spp. might add a species-specific layer
of complexity to the understanding of these multitrophic interactions.