Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Ascomycota
Class: Sordariomycetes
Order: Hypocreales
Family: Clavicipitaceae
Genus: Cordyceps

Basionym: Clavaria militaris L. 1753

Parasitic ascomycete that infects moth and butterfly pupae.

Orange club-like fungus, grows to be between 8-10cm tall and .5 cm wide (A). The tip of the fruiting body is finely dotted with bright orange-red perithecia. The fruiting body emerges from buried pupa or larva, protruding from between the segments of the insect exoskeleton. Either simple stalk or branched at the base. Cross-section reveals pale, hollowed interior ( C).

Very long asci, between 300-510 microns, about 4 microns wide.

The ascospores are thread-like, colorless, and segmented, about 3.5-6 × 1- 1.5 microns. These break into segments under nutrient-poor conditions, which then germinate to produce secondary conidia. (E)

Mating type: C. militaris is considered to be heterothallic (E). However, certain C. militaris strains can form sterile fruiting bodies without an opposite mating-type. This is an unusual finding among ascomycetes (E).