What are Predaceous insects?

Carnivorous fungi or predaceous fungi are fungi that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and digesting microscopic or other minute animals.

They generally belong to the phyla Ascomycota, Mucoromycotina, and Basidiomycota. They usually live in soil and many species trap or stun nematodes (nematophagous fungus), while others attack amoebae or collembola.

Two basic trapping mechanisms have been observed in carnivorous fungi that are predatory on nematodes:

• constricting rings (active traps)
• adhesive structures (passive traps)

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