Two Novel Species of Cudonia and Pleurocordyceps (Ascomycota) from Mount Tianmu, China

Cudonia and Pleurocordyceps comprise a relatively limited number of species worldwide. In particular, Pleurocordyceps represents an ecologically important group of entomopathogenic fungi with considerable potential for medicinal applications. In this study, two novel species, Cudonia aurantiaca and Pleurocordyceps tianmushanensis, were collected from the National Nature Reserve of Mount Tianmu, Zhejiang Province, China. Detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations are provided, and genus-level phylogenetic relationships are inferred based on a combined multi-locus sequence dataset comprising the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU), large subunit ribosomal RNA (LSU), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef-1α), RNA polymerase II largest subunit (rpb1), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2) gene regions. This study contributes to a better understanding of the diversity and taxonomy of Cudonia and Pleurocordyceps.