Disentangling the Taxonomy, Systematics, and Life History of the Spider-Parasitic Fungus (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales).

(Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales) is frequently observed growing on spiders, but little is known about their host range. One of the greatest challenges in describing these interactions is identifying the host, since the fungus often rapidly consumes the parasitised spiders and destroys important diagnostic taxonomic traits. Additionally, the global diversity of remains unclear, as does the natural history and phylogenetic relationships of most of the species.