Ophiocordyceps neonutans sp. nov., a new neotropical species from O. nutans complex (ophiocordycipitaceae, ascomycota)

Abstract

Ophiocordyceps nutans is an entomogenous fungus growing on true bugs (Hemiptera), which has a presumed worldwide distribution. During forays of entomogenous fungi in Brazil, specimens morphologically similar to O. nutans were collected from the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado domains of Neotropical region. Morphological comparisons, as well as molecular phylogenetic analyses using ITS, led us to conclude that the neotropical specimens represent a new species Ophiocordyceps neonutans. The Neotropical occurrence of this taxon and its taxonomic implications are re-evaluated here. We discuss O. nutans as a species complex with distinct geographic lineages and host specificity. In addition, Barcoding gap analysis suggests that the different lineages have a great genetic distance between them.