The Spider Akanthomyces (Akanthomyces aranearum) is an entomopathogenic mushroom that can be found in the summer. Its preferred hosts are spiders and can be found in riparian areas.

This fungus is not found often because of its tiny size, making it not well understood. However, as North American mycology matures in the next decades we hope to understand more about this interesting organism. The name "aranearum" stands for "of the spiders". It refers to the order of true spiders, Araneae, which is the host of choice for this fungal parasite.