Cordyceps

Cordyceps is a genus of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) with about 400 species. Most "Cordyceps" species are parasitoids. They live on and "in" insects and other arthropods. A few are parasitic on other fungi. The name "Cordyceps" is taken from the Greek word κορδύλη "kordýlē", meaning "club", and the Latin stem "-ceps", meaning "head".
The genus has a worldwide distribution. Most of the 400 species which have been described come from Asia Nepal, China, Japan, Bhutan, Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand. "Cordyceps" species are particularly abundant and diverse in humid temperate and tropical forests.