As the cicada emergence cycle approaches, researchers warn about a bizarre phenomenon known as “zombie cicadas.” This year, trillions of these insects will awaken from their 17-year hibernation and batter the United States. But that is not all. According to a West Virginia University scientist, a high proportion of these cicadas will be infected with a strange fungus that changes their behavior dramatically: it causes them to become hypersexual.
zombie cicadas: Experts are concerned about this excessively sexualized behavior
Brood XIX (every 13 years) is predicted to appear in Georgia and the Southeast, while Brood XIII (every 17 years) will appear in Illinois, according to Matthew Kasson, associate professor of mycology and forest pathology at West Virginia University.
Prof. Kasson told CBS News that both broods can be infected with the fungal disease Massospora cicadina. This fungus causes insects to exhibit hypersexual behavior, with a chalky, white plug emerging from their bodies and taking over their brains, causing their genitals to fall off in portions of the Southeast and Midwest.
The chalky substance that comes out of their bodies then acts as a “puppet master,” generating a burst of adrenaline that allows the males to pass the infection on to the females via intercourse.
Experts are concerned about this excessively sexualized behavior. “Males will continue to try and mate with females — unsuccessfully because, again, their back end is a fungus. But they’ll also pretend to be females to get males to come to them. And that doubles the number of cicadas that an infected individual comes in contact with.”
Matthew Kasson explained, “In that way, the fungus is sexually transmissible. So, it spreads like an STD.” Regarding where the fungus will emerge, he explained, “A lot of this is still unclear because there’s a lot that happens below our feet.” What’s more alarming is that the infection won’t stop there; when a cicada dies, Massospora cicadina’s spores on its body will enter the soil and infect other cicadas underground. It is not yet known if these fungal species will affect wildlife or humans, but Kasson reported in his research that he has detected thousands of chemical compounds in cicadas that have been infected, some of which may be toxic. “We know that a lot of animals are gobbling these cicadas up as they’re emerging — snakes and birds. Is it possible they’re affecting the animals that eat them? Yes, it is possible.”