A male cicada infected by massospora, a parasitic fungus (in white). WVU Photo/Angie Macias


Researchers at West Virginia University first discovered these "zombie cicadas" last summer. They found that the bugs douse other cicadas with spores that cause the same infection, so the scientists nicknamed the cicadas "flying salt shakers of death." But they didn't fully understand how the psychedelic fungus — named massospora — tricks cicadas into spreading the disease to so many healthy counterparts.


In a recent study, scientists describe how massospora manipulates male cicadas into flicking their wings in a pattern that imitates females' mating invitations. That sham siren call then lures in unsuspecting healthy males.


The fungus tweaks cicadas' behavior against its best interest

FILE - In this May 18, 2004 file photo, a swarm of cicadas take over a bush near Trenton, Ohio. With their bulging red eyes and deafening mating song, the 17-year cicadas are about to emerge. The insects have been waiting underground for nearly two decades, and millions are about to make their debut around western Pennsylvania, parts of eastern Ohio and a small swath of West Virginia. (Pat Auckerman/The Journal via AP, File)A swarm of cicadas take over a bush near Trenton, Ohio. Pat Auckerman/The Journal/AP


The insects' bodies "wear away like an eraser on a pencil," Brian Lovett, a coauthor of the new study, said in a press release.

Lovett and his team found that even though infected cicadas can lose up to one-third of their bodies to the fungus, they continue to roam, fly, and fornicate as if nothing's wrong. That maximizes the parasite's spread.

To make matters worse, the infection causes cicadas' libido to skyrocket — they "try to mate with everything they encounter," the researchers said.


He added that this type of behavioral tweak is similar to how the rabies virus modifies its hosts' behavior.

"When you're infected with rabies, you become aggressive, you become afraid of water and you don't swallow," Lovett said. "The virus is passed through saliva and all of those symptoms essentially turn you into a rabies-spreading machine where you're more likely to bite people."

Zombie cicadas aren't dangerous to people 



zombie cicadasBrian Lovett holds up a cicada infected by massospora, a parasitic fungus. WVU Photo/Angie Macias

"The fungus could more or less lay in wait inside its host for the next 17 years until something awakens it, perhaps a hormone cue," Kasson said in the release.


"They're very docile," Lovett said. "You can walk right up to one, pick it up to see if it has the fungus (a white to yellowish plug on its back end) and set it back down. They're not a major pest in any way."