Discovery of Three New Species Associated with Cricket Insects in Korea.

Species in the genus have a worldwide distribution and are isolated from various substrata and hosts, including soil, dung, freshwater, and fruits. However, their diversity from insects is still much too little explored. The aim of this study was to characterize three new species of : sp. nov., . sp. nov., and . sp. nov., discovered in Kunryang-ri, Cheongyang in the Chungnam Province of Korea, during an investigation of from cricket insects. The new species are described using morphological characters and molecular data including ITS and LSU rDNA regions. is characterized by the highly variable shape of its columellae, which are subglobose to oblong, obovoid, strawberry-shaped, and sometimes slightly or strongly constricted in the center. is characterized by the production of azygospores and growth at 40 °C. is characterized by the variable shape of its columellae, which are elongated-conical, obovoid, cylindrical ellipsoid, cylindrical, and production of abundant yeast-like cells on PDA, MEA, and SMA media. Based on the sequence analysis of two genetic markers, our phylogenic assessment strongly supported , . and . as new species. Detailed descriptions, illustrations, and phylogenetic trees are provided.