Three Novel Entomopathogenic Fungi From China and Thailand

Abstract

Entomopathogenic fungi are ubiquitous in tropical rainforests and feature a high level of diversity. This group of fungi not only has important ecological value but also medicinal value. Nevertheless, they are often ignored, and many unknown species have yet to be discovered and described. The present study aims to contribute to the taxonomical and phylogenetic understanding of the genus Paraisaria by describing three new species collected from Guizhou and Yunnan Provinces in China and Krabi Province in Thailand. The three novel species named Paraisaria alba, P. arcta, and P. rosea share similar morphologies as those in the genus Paraisaria, containing solitary, simple, fleshy stroma, completely immersed perithecia and cylindrical asci with thickened caps and filiform ascospores that often disarticulate at maturity. Phylogenetic analyses of combined LSU, SSU, TEF1-α, RPB1, RPB2, and ITS sequence data confirm their placement in the genus Paraisaria. In this study, the three entomopathogenic taxa are comprehensively described with color photographs and phylogenetic analyses. A synopsis table and a key to all treated species of Paraisaria are also included.

Insight into the Systematics of Novel Entomopathogenic Fungi Associated with Armored Scale Insect, Kuwanaspis howardi (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) in China

“…Olive, Tetracrium Henn., and accepted four species in Microcera . Nowadays, taxonomic concepts based on multi-gene phylogenetic inference have provided a deeper understanding of phylogenetic relationships than those based on individual gene regions [ 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 ]. Recently, combined ITS-LSU- tef1-α - acl1 - act - cmdA - his3 - rpb1 - rpb2 - tub2 datasets were used to clarify intraspecific and intergeneric relationships within Nectriaceae [ 19 ], and combined ITS-LSU- tef1-α - cmdA - rpb2 - tub2 datasets were similarly used for Hypocreales [ 80 ].…”