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Cordyceps
2010-08-06 Cordyceps militaris 1.jpg
Cordyceps militaris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Fungi
Division:
Ascomycota
Class:
Sordariomycetes
Order:
Hypocreales
Family:
Cordycipitaceae
Genus:
Cordyceps

Fr. (1818)
Type species
Cordyceps militaris
(L.) Fr. (1818)
04 01 02 life cycle Ascomycota, ascus (M. Piepenbring)
Ascomycete life cycle
Ophiocordyceps caloceroides
A member of the genus Cordyceps which is parasitic on arthropods. Note the elongated stromata

Cordyceps is a genus of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) with about 400 species. Most Cordyceps species are parasitoids. They are parasitic mainly on insects and other arthropods. A few are parasitic on other fungi. The generic name Cordyceps is taken from the Greek word κορδύλη kordýlē, meaning "club", and the Latin stem -ceps, meaning "head".

The genus has a worldwide distribution. Most of the 400 species have been described from Asia (notably Nepal, China, Japan, Bhutan, Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand). Cordyceps species are particularly abundant and diverse in humid temperate and tropical forests.

Images for kids

  • Cordyceps

    Cordyceps beginning its growth from a wasp

  • Cordycepsmilitaris

    Cordyceps militaris

  • Puppenkernkeule

    Cordyceps militaris

  • Cordyceps ophioglossoides 02

    Cordyceps ophioglossoides

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