https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1zcrjdg17

Description of the data and file structure

The EntomoFun 1.0 database consists of six different files.

• File one concerns the full database and presents all validated records.
• File two presents summaries of hosts infected per EF species.
• Similarly, a third file shows summaries of EF species affecting per host species. Note that the information presented in files 2 and 3 is also available from file 1; we present the data in these alternative formats for user convenience.
• File four presents records that are deemed doubtful, providing details for each to support this classification.
• File five presents a raw version of the database before removal of duplicate records, but is identical in all other respects to the first file.
• File six presents a list of all EF species currently described, listing the basionym and synonyms (based on sexual morphs only and expanded from the supplementary data by Araújo and Hughes).

All files are in .xlsx format. During the process of data collation, 1100+ literate sources were examined, from which 600+ present observations are included in the database. EntomoFun 1.0 currently has 1,791 records in file one, and an additional 139 unverified records (in file_four). Cells for which no information is available are indicated with an "NA" value.

Usage Notes

All files included in EntomoFun 1.0 are publicly available in Dryad under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. This database adheres to the FAIR principles, allowing researchers to find, access, understand, and reuse data related to EF. 

Standardized data collation was employed from the literature. EntomoFun 1.0 contains virtually every known association between teleomorph EF species in Hypocreales (excluding Polycephalomycetaceae) and their respective host taxa, as well as the host life stage and geographical distribution. Having this information centralized provides a significant advantage when studying EF ecology, host range, and biogeography (as explained in the Summary and Background section). Our database can help identify knowledge gaps to direct future studies. For example, the distributional gaps identified by our data (i.e., Wallacean shortfall; Fig. 1) highlight regions where additional samples are needed for future EF studies. When using EntomoFun 1.0 for ecological analyses, take into consideration these knowledge gaps.

Because of cryptic diversity, some EF species have been – or might be in the future – split into multiple species. Depending on the use of this database, “older” species reports might be considered as sensu lato. Notable examples are: ‘Cordyceps gunnii’, Ophiocordyceps australis, O. dipterigena, O. myrmecophila, O. sphecocephala, and O. unilateralis. This is a consideration that should also be made for host taxa, e.g., for ants (Formicidae) of the genera Camponotus *and *Pachycondyla.