Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal two new entomopathogenic fungi within the genus Ophiocordyceps (Ophiocordycipitaceae, Hypocreales)

This study reports on two new species, Ophiocordyceps simaoensis and O. guishanensis, from Yunnan Province, Southwestern China. These two species are introduced based on the morphological comparisons and phylogenetic evidence of a multigene dataset (nr SSU, nr LSU, tef- 1 α, rpb 1, and rpb 2). Phylogenetic analyses reveal that O. simaoensis is closely related to O. longistipes and O. fusiformis, whereas O. guishanensis shares a close relationship with O. acicularis and O. liaoningensis.

Morphologically, O. simaoensis can be distinguished from its phylogenetically close relatives by its smaller, immersed perithecia, shorter asci and ascospores. Ophiocordyceps guishanensis differs from O. acicularis and O. liaoningensis by its smaller asci.