First evidence of clavicipitaceous fungus attacking amphibians

<i>Metapochonia bulbillosa</i> (Clavicipitaceae) was identified as the causative agent of a novel mycosis affecting <i>Pelophylax porosus brevipodus</i>, an endangered frog species in Japan. Analyses of spontaneous disease outbreaks and experimental infections confirmed that the fungus can cause lethal infections in both <i>Pelophylax porosus brevipodus</i> and <i>Dryophytes japonicus</i>. This study provides the first evidence that a member of the Clavicipitaceae, a family previously known primarily for plant and insect pathogens, can also cause disease in amphibians.