Phylogeny and reassessment of the genus Tolypocladium s. lato.: Proposing a new genus, three new species and two combinations.

Authors

Wan-Hao Chen, Chuan-Xuan Xiong, Hui-Lin Shu, Dan Li, Qian Zeng, Jian-Dong Liang, Nalin N Wijayawardene, Yan-Feng Han, Jie-Hong Zhao

Published in

MycoKeys. Volume 141. Pages 337-379. Epub Oct 13, 2026.

Abstract

This study presents a phylogenetic reassessment and taxonomic revision of the genus Tolypocladium s. str. in Ophiocordycipitaceae. A phylogenetic analysis based on five loci (ITS, LSU, rpb1, rpb2, and tef-1α) was conducted, combined with morphological characters and host associations. Traditionally, Tolypocladium species are regarded as polyphyletic, with species distributed across three families of Hypocreales: Ophiocordycipitaceae, Cordycipitaceae, and Clavicipitaceae. Consequently, we propose a new genus, Tolypocladiopsis, to accommodate Tolypocladium extinguens (in Cordycipitaceae); describe three new species, Tolypocladium guizhouense, T. tongrenense, and T. zongqii, from Fanjing Mountain, Guizhou Province, China. Tolypocladium lignicola is accommodated in Metapochonia s. str., and we accordingly introduce M. lignicola. Our findings refine the generic delimitation of Tolypocladium, resolve long-standing taxonomic ambiguities, underscore the misleading nature of morphological convergence in hypocrealean anamorphs, and advocate for an integrative taxonomy that combines molecular phylogenetics with detailed morphological examination.

PMID:
42909249
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Oct 2026.

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