Ireland is the only place where a unique fungus has been found that infects reclusive spiders in dark caves and turns them ...

The spider was an orb-weaving cave spider, Metellina merianae, found deceased on the ceiling of an abandoned Victorian gunpowder store. A strange location for the reclusive, cave-dwelling spider ...

Thankfully, so far, it's only been found in spiders located in several cave systems across the island of Ireland, including the Whitefathers' Caves on the Fermanagh/Cavan border. Named after Sir ...

The fungus, named Gibellula attenboroughii, changes the behavior of cave-dwelling species of orb-weaver spiders. Orb weavers are known for their classic, geometric webs. The infected spiders ...

A new zombie pathogen has been discovered in Ireland. This insidious fungus infects cave spiders and alters their behavior to help spread its spores to new victims. Later expeditions found similar ...

Subsequently, the spider host was identified as the orb-weaving cave spider, Metellina merianae (Tetragnathidae: Araneae), and—through the help of a local speleologist—further specimens of the ...

The new fungus Gibellula attenboroughii on the orb-weaving cave spider. Credit: CABI. A newly discovered fungus that turns spiders into “zombies” has been found in caves across Northern ...

Researchers have identified a new form of zombie fungus that is infecting spiders in Irish caves. According to the study published in Fungal Systematics and Evolution, the spider species were found in ...

So-called "zombie spiders" have been discovered in a cave between Co Cavan and Co Fermanagh. They were found by speleologist Tim Fogg in the White Father's Cave. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning ...