collection from Brazilian soil reveals a new species: Sp. nov.

spp. are important biological control agents and plant growth promoters. However, only a limited number of species are used in biological control even though the genus contains more than 400 species, with most of them being mycotrophic. In this study, 97 isolates preserved at the EMBRAPA collection (an important source for biocontrol agents) and previously collected from several areas in Brazil were characterized which were identified using various molecular markers (internal transcribed spacers (), translation elongation factor (), RNA polymerase II subunit (), actin (), and calmodulin (). Of these, 54 isolates were found to group in the species complex and 32 in Sect. . Others were distributed in the following clades: complex (one isolate), (four isolates), and (seven isolates). Most of the isolates were identified within 17 known species, whereas and were synonymized under and , respectively, based on multi-locus phylogenetic analysis and GCPRS criteria. However, two isolates formed a clade apart from previously identified species from Sect. and identified as a new species: sp. nov. The multigenic characterization of isolates deposited in fungal culture collections is crucial for accurate identification and reveals a diverse range of species in Brazil.