Cordyceps

Cordyceps is a genus of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) with about 400 species. Most Cordyceps species are parasitoids. They live on and in insects and other arthropods. A few are parasitic on other fungi. The 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 which have been described come from Asia Nepal, China, Japan, Bhutan, Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand. Cordyceps species are particularly abundant and diverse in humid temperate and tropical forests.

350px|thumb|center|Ascomycete life cycle
350px|center|thumb| A member of the genus Cordyceps which is parasitic on arthropods. Note the elongated stromata

 References 

Category:Fungi
Category:Parasitoids