Ophiocordycipitaceae is a diverse family comprising ecologically, economically, medicinally, and culturally important fungi. The family was recognized due to the polyphyly of the genus Cordyceps and the broad diversity of the mostly arthropod-pathogenic lineages of Hypocreales. The other two cordyceps-like families, Cordycipitaceae and Clavicipitaceae, will be revised taxonomically elsewhere. Historically, many species were placed in Cordyceps, but other genera have been described in this family as well, including several based on anamorphic features. Currently there are 24 generic names in use across both asexual and sexual life stages for species of Ophiocordycipitaceae. To reflect changes in Art. 59 in the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), we propose to protect and to suppress names within Ophiocordycipitaceae, and to present taxonomic revisions in the genus Tolypocladium, based on rigorous and extensively sampled molecular phylogenetic analyses. When approaching this task, we considered the principles of priority, monophyly, minimizing taxonomic revisions, and the practical utility of these fungi within the wider biological research community.

Three yellow pigments were isolated from a mycelial extract of the entomopathogenic fungus Paecilomyces militaris. With the aid of spectroscopic means, one compound was identified as a new pyridone alkaloid, militarinone D (1). The two other metabolites were characterized as two novel 3-acyl tetramic acids, militarinones B (2) and C (3). In contrast to the structurally related pyridone militarinone A (4), compounds 1-3 showed only negliable neuritogenic activity in PC-12 cells, whereas militarinone D (1) exhibited cytotoxicity. On the basis of a co-occurrence of 3-acyl tetramic acids and biogenetically related pyridone alkaloids in P. militaris, a revised biosynthetic pathway for pyridone alkaloids is proposed.

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Two new yellow pigments, farinosones A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the mycelial extract of the entomogenous fungal strain Paecilomyces farinosus RCEF 0101, together with farinosone C (3), a new metabolite derived from an early step of pyridone alkaloid biosynthesis. The structures were determined by spectroscopic means, in particular by extensive NMR experiments. Compounds 1 and 3 induced neurite outgrowth in the PC-12 cell line at concentrations of 50 microM, while compound 2 was inactive. No cytotoxicity was observed for compounds 1-3 in PC-12 cells when tested at 50 microM concentration in the MTT assay.