Spider Corpse with Fungus

14mm long | July 5, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Can you spot the spider corpse here? Looks like it succumbed to some sort of fungal infection. Fungi are quite diverse and I don’t recall ever seeing one quite like this one. Here’s a closer view.

Closeup of fungus

I suspect that webbing is probably from the spider itself. It probably was hiding inside a silken retreat when it died.

Side view

Would the fungus properly be called an arachnopathogen? I think so but there’s practically no hits when I search for that term.

I did find a photo with a similar looking fungus on BugGuide though. Sadly, no info on the identity of the fungus. It’s neat to see that the photo was taken not too far from where I live though.

Am I the only one that wonders if I should be wearing a surgical mask when I get close to something like this?

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