Scientists identified a new fungus, Gibellula attenboroughii, infecting cave spiders in Ireland. The fungus manipulates spider behavior, resembling “zombie-ant fungi.”

Dr. Harry Evans, Emeritus Fellow at CAB International, led a team of scientists—including experts from the Natural History Museum of Denmark and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew—in a study to identify a fungus discovered on a spider during the filming of the BBC Winterwatch series in Northern Ireland.

Through morphological and molecular analysis, the researchers confirmed the fungus as a previously unknown species.