Multigene Phylogeny and Morphology of sp. nov., A New Entomopathogenic Fungus Attacking Lepidopteran Larva from Yunnan, China.

A new fungus, , parasitic on the larva of Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) was identified from a survey of entomopathogenic fungi in Kunming Wild Duck Forest Park, Yunnan Province, China. It can be primarily distinguished from relatives by its longer fertile parts, sterile tips, superficial perithecia, narrower asci, and smaller septa of ascospores. As revealed from phylogenetic analyses inferred from nrSSU, nrLSU, tef-1α, rpb1, and rpb2 sequence data, belongs to the clade in the genus of Ophiocordycipitaceae, and forms a separated clade from other related species. The uniqueness of the taxon is significantly evidenced by both molecular phylogeny and morphology. Furthermore, the interspecific relationships in the clade are discussed.