Abstract
Cordyceps species are notable medicinal fungi in China, which are pathogenic on insects and exhibit high biodiversity in tropical and subtropical regions. Recently, three new Cordyceps species, Cordycepschangchunensis and Cordycepsjingyuetanensis growing on pupae of Lepidoptera and Cordycepschangbaiensis growing on larvae of Lepidoptera, were found in Jilin Province, China and are described, based on morphological and ecological characteristics. These three new species are similar to the Cordycepsmilitaris group, but are distinctly distinguishable from the known species. Cordycepschangchunensis, characterised by its small and light yellow to orange stromata which is occasionally forked, covered with white mycelium at the base of stipe, globose to ovoid perithecia, is macroscopically similar to Cordycepsmilitaris. Cordycepschangbaiensis is clearly discriminated from other Cordyceps species by its white to orange and branched stromata, clavate to cylindrical fertile apical portion, immersed and globose to ovoid perithecia. Moreover, unbranched, clavate and orange to light red stromata, almond-shaped to ovoid and immersed perithecia separate Cordycepsjingyuetanensis from other Cordyceps species. nrITS, nrLSU and EF-1α sequences were undertaken and phylogenetic trees, based on Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analysis showed that the three new species clustered with Cordycepsmilitaris, but formed individual clades, as well as confirmed the results of our morphological study.
Highlights
The family Cordycipitaceae belongs to Hypocreales with plant, animal- and fungusbased nutrition modes (Sung et al 2007; Vega et al 2009)
According to the phylogenetic tree, the three new species gather into one branch with C. militaris, C. roseostromata Kobayasi & Shimizu, C. taishanensis B
Kawam. and C. hepialidicola Kobayasi & Shimizu, but the species C. jingyuetanensis does not gather into one branch by itself
Summary
The family Cordycipitaceae belongs to Hypocreales with plant-, animal- and fungusbased nutrition modes (Sung et al 2007; Vega et al 2009). Over 900 species of Cordycipitoid fungi are reported worldwide (Yan and Bau 2015; Zha et al 2018). The classification of Cordyceps, based on the studies of Kobayasi (1941, 1983), three subgenera, C. subg. Based on nrITS, nrSSU, nrLSU, EF-1α, RPB1, RPB2, TUB and ATP6 sequences, the phylogenetic study implied that the Cordycipitoid fungi belong to six genera (Cordyceps Fr., Metacordyceps G.H. Sung, J.M. Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora, Tyrannicordyceps Kepler & Spatafora, Elaphocordyceps G.H. Sung & Spatafora, Ophiocordyceps Petch and Polycephalomyces Kobayasi) across three families, Cordycipitaceae, Clavicipitaceae and Ophiocordycipitaceae (Sung et al 2007; Yan and Bau 2015)
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