Kobmoo Noppol, Mongkolsamrit Suchada, Khonsanit Artit, Cedeño-Sanchez Marjorie, Arnamnart Nuntanat, Noisripoom Wasana, Kwantong Papichaya, Sonthirod Chutima, Pootakham Wirulda, Amnuaykanjanasin Alongkorn, Charria-Girón Esteban, Stadler Marc, Luangsa-Ard Janet Jennifer
Integrative Crop Biotechnology and Management Research Group, Plant-Microbe Interaction Research Team, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani, Thailand.
Department of Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research GmbH (HZI), Inhoffenstraße 7, 6 38124, Braunschweig, Germany.
IMA Fungus. 2024 Sep 11;15(1):30. doi: 10.1186/s43008-024-00154-9.
Metarhizium anisopliae (Clavicipitaceae, Hypocreales) is a globally distributed entomopathogenic fungus, which has been largely studied and used in agriculture for its potent entomopathogenicity. Since its taxonomic establishment as a member of Metarhizium, many closely related taxa have been described with highly similar morphology (cryptic species). A holotype specimen of M. anisopliae is not extant, and the ex-neotype strain (CBS 130.71) does not form a monophyletic clade with other strains, up to now, recognized as M. anisopliae sensu stricto. In this study, we have conducted an integrative taxonomic treatment of M. anisopliae sensu lato by including the ex-neotype strain of M. anisopliae, other unknown strains from our collections identified as M. anisopliae s. lat., as well as other known species that have been previously delimited as closely related but distinct to M. anisopliae. By including whole-genome sequencing, morphometric analysis, LC-MS based metabolomics, and virulence assays, we have demonstrated that M. anisopliae s. str. should also include M. lepidiotae (synonym), and that M. anisopliae s. str. differentiates from the other species of the complex by its metabolome and less severe entomopathogenicity. New taxa, namely M. hybridum, M. neoanisopliae and M. parapingshaense spp. nov., are proposed. The novel taxa proposed here have strong phylogenomics support, corroborated by fine-scale differences in the length/width of conidia/phialides, while the metabolomics and virulence data still largely overlap. We have also demonstrated via population genomics data the existence of local clonal lineages, particularly the one corresponding to the persistence of a biocontrol candidate strain that has been used in the field application for three years. This study showcases the utility of combining various data sources for accurate delimitation of species within an important group of fungal biocontrol agents against pest insects.
绿僵菌（麦角菌科，肉座菌目）是一种广泛分布于全球的昆虫病原真菌，因其强大的昆虫致病性而在农业领域得到了广泛研究和应用。自其被分类为绿僵菌属成员以来，许多形态高度相似的近缘分类群（隐存种）被描述。绿僵菌的模式标本已不复存在，而新模式菌株（CBS 130.71）与目前被认为是狭义绿僵菌的其他菌株并未形成单系分支。在本研究中，我们对广义绿僵菌进行了综合分类处理，纳入了绿僵菌的新模式菌株、我们收藏的其他被鉴定为广义绿僵菌的未知菌株，以及先前被划定为与绿僵菌密切相关但不同的其他已知物种。通过全基因组测序、形态测量分析、基于液相色谱 - 质谱联用的代谢组学和毒力测定，我们证明狭义绿僵菌还应包括鳞翅绿僵菌（同义词），并且狭义绿僵菌通过其代谢组和较弱的昆虫致病性与该复合种的其他物种区分开来。我们提出了新的分类单元，即杂种绿僵菌、新绿僵菌和平沙绿僵菌新种。这里提出的新分类单元具有强大的系统基因组学支持，分生孢子/瓶梗长度/宽度的细微差异也证实了这一点，而代谢组学和毒力数据仍有很大重叠。我们还通过群体基因组学数据证明了本地克隆谱系的存在，特别是与一种已在田间应用三年的生物防治候选菌株的持续存在相对应的谱系。这项研究展示了结合各种数据源对一类重要的害虫真菌生物防治剂中的物种进行准确界定的实用性。
