Inter-kingdom host jumping in Clavicipitales
Cordyceps is an ascomycete genus that includes parasites of arthropods as well as other ascomcyetes that form truffles (Elaphomyces sp.)
Nikoh and Fukatsu analyzed nuclear and mitochondrial rDNA sequences in Cordyceps species on diverse hosts, and mapped host associations onto the phylogenetic trees
Results suggest that host associations are generally stable, but that there have been some switches.
The Elaphomyces parasites are nested in a clade of Cordyceps species that parasitize the underground larvae of cicadas, suggesting that the common habitat facilitated the switch from an insect to a fungal host.
Reference:
Nikoh, N., and T. Fukatsu. 2000. Interkingdom host jumping underground: phylogenetic analysis of entomoparasitic fungi of the genus Cordyceps. Mol. Biol. Evol. 17: 629-638.