A Revision of the Genus Cordyceps

Abstract

THE genus Cordyceps is of special interest alike to the mycologist and entomologist, on account of the species being parasitic on insects. The peculiar combination of plant and animal has attracted attention from early times, and has given origin to some remarkable ideas as to the assumed medicinal value of such unusual productions. The historical and romantic side of the subject has been dealt with quite recently by Dr. Cookel. Saccardo 2 has collected diagnoses of fifty-nine species, including three which are excluded in the present work: of these, seventeen are arranged under species imperfecte cognitae, and even in the case of many not included in the imperfectly described batch, the specific characters are too brief to ensure certainty of determination. In the majority of instances,. this imperfection

Ophiocordyceps barnesii and its relationship to other melolonthid pathogens with dark stromata

“…In Thailand occasional collections were made (from natural forest) of a Cordyceps on melolonthids which also had ascospores dividing into four part-spores of unusual length. The Thai material compared well with the description given by Massee (1895) for O. barnesii.…”

“…Cooke (1892) referred to this as the 'Ceylon May-Bug Club' with the comment that information 'is exceedingly limited'. A detailed description based on the type material was provided by Massee (1895) along with good illustrations, and this must stand as the definitive description of Cordyceps barnesii. Petch (1924) discussed C. barnesii in the context of his work on 'Ceylon Cordyceps'.…”

“…A unique character described by Massee (1895) was the division of the ascospores into four part-spores of 30e40 mm long by 2 mm wide, prompting Mains (1959) to regard such part-spores as 'unusually long'. In Thailand occasional collections were made (from natural forest) of a Cordyceps on melolonthids which also had ascospores dividing into four part-spores of unusual length.…”

Macrofungi on special substrates

“…Studies on the biology of coprophilous fungi were carried out, among others, by Boudier (1869), Janczewski (1871), Massee andSalmon (1901), Fraser (1907), Dodge (1912), Larsen (1970). These studies refer primarily to the methods of spreading and spore germination of the investigated fungi.…”

“…Cordyceps bifusispora was described on a pupa of Noctuidae in Sweden (Eriksson 1982). Furthermore Cordyceps pistillariaeformis was found among others on plant louses of Lecanium in North America and England (Massee 1895). Cordyceps sphingum is known almost all over the world on butterflies of Sphinx genus (Zablocka 1929).…”