Disentangling cryptic species with isaria-like morphs in Cordycipitaceae

Abstract

A new genus and eight new species, all with isaria-like phialides, are described in Cordycipitaceae from Thailand. The new genus, Samsoniella, is segregated from Akanthomyces based on morphological and molecular evidence. Samsoniella differs from Akanthomyces in producing orange cylindrical to clavate stromata with superficial perithecia and orange conidiophores with isaria-like phialides and white to cream conidia. A new combination for CBS 240.32, originally identified as Paecilomyces farinosus (Isaria farinosa), and CBS 262.58, originally identified as Penicillium alboaurantium, respectively, is made in Samsoniella. Two new species, Samsoniella aurantia and S. inthanonensis, are described from lepidopteran larvae. Two new species of Cordyceps, C. blackwelliae and C. lepidopterorum, were also found on coleopteran and lepidopteran larvae. Both produce isaria-like morphs with globose phialides and attenuated long necks and white mycelium in culture. The authors established a sexual-asexual link for Cordyceps javanica (= Isaria javanica) on lepidopteran larvae. Four new species, Akanthomyces kanyawimiae, A. sulphureus, A. thailandicus, and A. waltergamsii, were pathogenic on spiders, with some strains of A. kanyawimiae also found on unidentified insect larvae. These four species of Akanthomyces occur on the underside of leaves and produce white to cream white powdery conidia, whereas S. aurantia and S. inthanonensis were found in leaf litter and produce bright orange stromata and synnemata with white conidia. Another new combination, Akanthomyces ryukyuensis, is proposed. Phylogenetic analyses based on a combined data set comprising the nuc rDNA region encompassing the internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 along with the 5.8S rDNA (ITS), nuc 28S rDNA (28S), partial sequences of translation elongation factor 1-α gene (TEF1), and the genes for RNA polymerase II largest (RPB1) and second-largest (RPB2) subunits strongly support the delimitation of these new species of Cordyceps, Akanthomyces, and in a new genus Samsoniella in Cordycipitaceae.

Studies on the biologically active secondary metabolites of the new spider parasitic fungus Gibellula gamsii

“…2) comprised seven different genera belonging to the family Cordycipitaceae including Akanthomyces, Beauveria, Blackwellomyces, Cordyceps, Gibellula, Hevansia, and outgroup Engyodontium. The analyses showed the genera segregated corresponding to the most recent phylogenetic classification of the Cordycipitaceae (Mongkolsamrit et al 2018). Gibellula has been inferred as a monophyletic group in previous phylogenetic studies (Johnson et al 2009;Kepler et al 2017).…”

<p><strong><em>Akanthomyces neocoleopterorum</em></strong><strong>, a new verticillium-like species</strong></p>

“…The DNA sequences generated in this study were assembled and edited using Lasergene software (version 6.0, DNASTAR). Sequences of ITS, LSU, RPB1, RPB2 and TEF were selected based on Kepler et al (2017), Mongkolsamrit et al (2018), Chen et al (2018Chen et al ( , 2019 and the result of a Blast search in GenBank. Multiple sequence alignments for ITS, LSU, RPB1, RPB2 and TEF were carried out using MAFFT v7.037b (Katoh & Standley 2013).…”

Akanthomyces araneogenum, a new Isaria-like araneogenous species

“…The DNA sequences generated in this study were assembled and edited using Lasergene software (version 6.0, DNASTAR). Sequences of ITS, LSU rRNA, RPB1, RPB2 and TEF were based on Kepler et al (2017) and Mongkolsamrit et al (2018). Multiple sequence alignments for ITS, LSU, RPB1, RPB2 and TEF were carried out using MAFFT v7.037b (Katoh et al 2013).…”

“…The genus was emended and revised by Mains (1950). Several new species were reported later (Samson & Evans 1974, Koval 1977, Vincent et al 1988, Hywel-Jones 1996, Hsieh et al 1997, Huang et al 2000, Kepler et al 2017, Mongkolsamrit et al 2018. Currently, the genus Akanthomyces consists of 19 species, and has been isolated from soil, insects and spiders.…”