According to TV BRICS
Scientists in Chile have identified a new species of entomopathogenic fungus, Papiliomyces australis, marking the first confirmed record of the Papiliomyces genus in South America. The discovery was made in Alerce Costero National Park, near the city of Valdivia, expanding the known geographic distribution of a fungal group previously reported only in China and Nepal. Researchers believe the species has likely existed in Chilean ecosystems for a long time but remained undocumented due to its hidden lifestyle and specialized association with insect hosts. The finding contributes to a broader understanding of fungal biodiversity, insect-fungus interactions, and the ecological roles of entomopathogenic fungi in natural environments. The fungus was first spotted by park ranger Francisco Noriega and, with the help of conservation engineering student Pablo Silva, brought to the Forest Health Laboratory at the Universidad Austral de Chile, where researcher Esteban Gallardo-Pillancari led the formal species description, published in the journal Fungal Ecology.
Papiliomyces australis belongs to a group of fungi that infect insects, known as entomopathogenic fungi. Rather than acting as plant pathogens, these fungi naturally regulate insect populations by invading specific hosts and completing their life cycles within insect bodies. The newly identified species specifically infects the larvae of ghost moths belonging to the Hepialidae family. After fungal spores infect a susceptible larva, the fungus develops internally, gradually consuming host tissues while obtaining nutrients required for growth and reproduction. Such highly specialized host-pathogen relationships are common among entomopathogenic fungi and often evolve over long evolutionary periods, resulting in close ecological associations between fungi and their insect hosts — as study co-author Gallardo-Pillancari explained, the species is phylogenetically basal, sharing morphological traits with related species across the genus, and is likely an ancient lineage that predates the separation of the continents.
One of the most distinctive characteristics of Papiliomyces australis is its unusual developmental cycle. Instead of rapidly producing visible fruiting bodies after infecting its host, the fungus transforms the infected larva into a sclerotium, a compact, hardened mass of fungal tissue that functions as a long-term survival structure. Sclerotia enable fungi to withstand adverse environmental conditions, including drought, prolonged cold, nutrient scarcity, and even forest fires. While remaining dormant within the soil or forest floor, the fungus can survive for many years until environmental conditions become favorable for continued development and reproduction. This remarkable adaptation allows the species to persist unnoticed within natural ecosystems, making detection difficult during conventional biodiversity surveys — researchers noted that fruiting bodies were only first observed in 2022 despite the species likely having been present for far longer, a scarcity of records that likely reflects the cryptic, subterranean habits of hepialid larvae and the narrow seasonal window during which fruiting structures are visible in the field. Researchers suggest that this survival strategy may partly explain why the species escaped scientific recognition despite likely being present in South American forests for centuries.
Beyond its taxonomic significance, the discovery also has potential implications for sustainable agriculture and biological pest management. Entomopathogenic fungi have long attracted scientific interest because they offer environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides; species such as Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium are already certified for use against agricultural pests in Chile. By naturally infecting insect pests without harming most non-target organisms, many fungal species are already used as biological control agents in agriculture. Although the practical applications of Papiliomyces australis remain unknown, researchers believe further investigation may reveal valuable insights into fungal ecology, host specificity, and novel mechanisms of insect infection. Understanding how the fungus survives through prolonged dormancy and maintains long-term relationships with its insect hosts could also improve knowledge of fungal evolution and ecosystem resilience. Scientists emphasize that documenting previously unknown fungal diversity remains essential, as many species likely continue to play important ecological roles while remaining undiscovered within forests around the world.
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According to TV BRICS
