Cheeto Cordyceps or Fly Destroyer Fungus
This tiny fungus is an Entamopathogenic Ascomycete species that parasitizes the larvae of flies in the genus Xylophagus. It is in the Hypocreales order and a member of the family Ophiocordycipitaceae. When a spore lands on the exoskeleton of a larva it soon germinates and penetrates the surface of the insect. Once it it inside the hyphae begin dining on the innards of the larvae and eventually kill it, in the process changing the larval color from cream to burnt sienna. The larvae of the wood flies are wood-borers that digest not only wood but other larvae they might encounter in the wood. Eventually the fungus fills the entirety of the dead insect with hyphae and when running out of food sends out slender stalks that emerge as if from wood but actually from the insect buried in the wood. These reproductive structures are orange and have been likened to Cheetos, so varied are their shapes. At the terminal end the ascocarp enlarges and perithecia develop, lumpy excrescences containing the asci in which spores are manufactured. It takes a sharp eye to see one of these fungi, as they are typically only 2-24 mm long. The insect host is hidden in the wood and its existence must be suspected so that it can be dug out and seen in its channel. Whether the fungus is toxic is unknown but it should never be eaten.The family it belongs to is much more common in the tropics where hundreds of cordyceps species have been identified. They are being studied for potential medicinal properties, as they manufacture a number of chemicals with antibiotic properties.