Fungal pathogens of spiders

Abstract

This chapter aims to redress the imbalance shown by past and present literature which purports to cover and comprehensively review the biology of spiders. None of these, however, even the most recent updates, report on or make reference to fungi as natural enemies of spiders. In reality, fungal pathogens of spiders are highly diverse in form and function and occur in a range of climes and habitats. Their history-from the birth of mycology to the molecular age-is charted and the taxonomic groups involved are reviewed and described with the aid of detailed colour images. The majority of fungi pertain to the family Clavicipitaceae (Hypocreales, Ascomycota): now undergoing drastic revision, thanks to multi-gene phylogeny. Their biology, including the infection process whereby the spores penetrate directly through the exoskeleton and colonise the haemocoele, is outlined together with a discussion of their ecology. It is concluded that the role of fungal pathogens should be included in any ecological studies relating to the population dynamics of spiders.