IntroductionClonostachys, a genus with rich morphological and ecological diversity in Bionectriaceae, has a wide distribution among diverse habitats.Methods and ResultsIn the present study, a phylogenetic framework is reconstructed for the family Bionectriaceae focusing on Clonostachys through increased taxon-sampling using the nrLSU sequence. Through surveying Clonostachys in China, Vietnam, and Thailand over the past 3 years, seven Clonostachys spp. were found and identified. Two new species, C. chuyangsinensis and C. kunmingensis, are described and illustrated based on morphological characteristics and molecular data. The phylogenetic positions of the seven species were evaluated based on four genomic loci (ITS, nrLSU, TUB2, and TEF1).DiscussionMoreover, the genetic divergence comparisons of Clonostachys species for three markers (ITS, TUB2, and TEF1) are also provided. The results indicated that the TEF1 sequence data provided the best resolution for distinguishing species of Clonostachys, followed by sequence data for the TUB2 and ITS regions.

Akanthomyces, a group of fungi with rich morphological and ecological diversity in Cordycipitaceae (Ascomycota, Hypocreales), has a wide distribution among diverse habitats. By surveying arthropod-pathogenic fungi in China and Southeast Asia over the last six years, nine Akanthomyces spp. were found and identified. Four of these were new species, and they were named A. kunmingensis and A. subaraneicola from China, A. laosensis from Laos, and A. pseudonoctuidarum from Thailand, and they were described and illustrated according to the morphological characteristics and molecular data. Akanthomyces araneogenus, which is isolated from spiders from different regions in China, Thailand, and Vietnam, is described as a newly recorded species from Thailand and Vietnam. The phylogenetic positions of the nine species were evaluated based on phylogenetic inferences according to five loci, namely, ITS, nrLSU, TEF, RPB1, and RPB2. In this study, we reviewed the research progress achieved for Akanthomyces regarding its taxonomy, species diversity, geographic distribution, and major host–substrate associations. The morphological characteristics of 35 species in Akanthomyces, including four novel species and 31 known taxa, were also compared.

The Cordyceps militaris complex, which is a special group in the genus Cordyceps, is rich in species diversity and is widely distributed in nature. Throughout the investigations of arthropod-pathogenic fungi in the national reserves and in Vietnam parks, collections of C. militaris attacking lepidopteran pupae or larvae were located in the soil and on the leaf litter. The phylogenetic analyses of the combined nrSSU, nrLSU, TEF, RPB1, and RPB2 sequence data indicated that the fungal materials collected in Vietnam belonged to C. militaris and two hidden species in the C. militaris complex. The phylogenetic analyses and morphological comparisons presented here strongly supported the descriptions of C. polystromata and C. sapaensis as new taxa as well as C. militaris as a known species. The morphological characteristics of 11 species in the C. militaris complex, which included two novel species and nine known taxa, were also compared.

Clonostachys, a group with rich morphological and ecological diversity in Bionectriaceae, has a wide distribution among diverse habitats. In the present study, a phylogenetic framework is reconstructed for the family Bionectriaceae focusing on Clonostachys through increased taxon-sampling using the nrLSU sequence. Through surveying Clonostachys in China, Vietnam, and Thailand over the past 3 years, seven Clonostachys spp. were found and identified. Two new species, C. chuyangsinensis and C. kunmingensis, are described and illustrated based on morphological characteristics and molecular data. The phylogenetic positions of the seven species were evaluated based on four genomic loci (ITS, nrLSU, TUB2, and TEF1). Moreover, the genetic divergence comparisons of Clonostachys species for three markers (ITS, TUB2, and TEF1) are also provided. The results indicated that the TEF1 sequence data provided the best resolution for distinguishing species of Clonostachys, followed by sequence data for the TUB2 and ITS regions.

Clonostachys, a group with rich morphological and ecological diversity in Bionectriaceae, has a wide distribution among diverse habitats. In the present study, a phylogenetic framework is reconstructed for the family Bionectriaceae focusing on Clonostachys through increased taxon-sampling using the nrLSU sequence. Through surveying Clonostachys in China, Vietnam, and Thailand over the past 3 years, seven Clonostachys spp. were found and identified. Two new species, C. chuyangsinensis and C. dimorpha, are described and illustrated based on morphological characteristics and molecular data. The phylogenetic positions of the seven species were evaluated based on four genomic loci (ITS, nrLSU, TUB2, and TEF1). Moreover, the genetic divergence comparisons of Clonostachys species for three markers (ITS, TUB2, and TEF1) are also provided. The results indicated that the TEF1 sequence data provided the best resolution for distinguishing species of Clonostachys, followed by sequence data for the TUB2 and ITS regions.