Newly-discovered fungus spider is like something out of The Last of US

The spider resembles the fruiting body of a fungus from the genus Gibellula, which infects spiders and takes over their nervous system (Picture: Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change /Cover Images)

A new spider discovered in the Amazon disguises itself as a parasitic fungus – similar to the plot of the video game and TV series The Last of Us.

Researchers say the species, named Taczanowskia waska, is the first known example of its kind.

It has been described by an international team of researchers, including experts from the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB). Their findings have been published in the scientific journal Zootaxa.

The spider was ...