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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Systems Microbiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1532341
This article is part of the Research Topic Investigating the Role of Microorganisms in Ecosystems and Their Interactions with the Humans, Animals, Plants, and Environment Interface View all articles

New Entomopathogenic Species in the Clavicipitaceae Family (Hypocreales, Ascomycota) from Subtropical Forests of Fujian, China

Provisionally accepted
Longbing Lin Longbing Lin 1Yongsheng Lin Yongsheng Lin 1Nemat O Keyhani Nemat O Keyhani 2Huili Pu Huili Pu 1Jiao Yang Jiao Yang 1Chenjie Xiong Chenjie Xiong 1Junya Shang Junya Shang 1Yuchen Mao Yuchen Mao 1Lixia Yang Lixia Yang 1Minhai Zheng Minhai Zheng 1Mengjia Zhu Mengjia Zhu 1Taichang Mu Taichang Mu 1Yi Li Yi Li 3Huiling Liang Huiling Liang 4Long-Fei Fan Long-Fei Fan 5XIAOLI MA XIAOLI MA 6Haixia Ma Haixia Ma 7Wen Xiong Wen Xiong 8Junzhi Qiu Junzhi Qiu 1*Xiayu Guan Xiayu Guan 1
  • 1 Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
  • 2 University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States
  • 3 Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 4 Guangxi Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Region, China
  • 5 Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China
  • 6 Xinjiang University, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Region, China
  • 7 Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
  • 8 Fujian Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Insect pathogenic fungi play a crucial role in the ecological regulation of insect populations and can be exploited as a resource for pest control and sustainable agriculture. Through a comprehensive two-year survey coupled with multilocus molecular phylogenetic analysis applying nrSSU, nrLSU, tef1-α, rpb1 and rpb2, we identified three novel species within the Clavicipitaceae: Albacillium fuzhouense sp. nov., Conoideocrella gongyashanensis sp. nov. and Neoaraneomyces wuyishanensis sp. nov., as well as the recently recorded, Metarhizium cicadae. In addition, each new species was distinguished from its closest relatives by unique morphological characteristics. These discoveries have potential value for developing new pest control strategies and enrich characterization of the biodiversity within this family of fungi.

    Keywords: entomopathogenic fungi, Albacillium, Conoideocrella, Metarhizium, Neoaraneomyces, Clavicipitaceae, New taxa

    Received: 21 Nov 2024; Accepted: 10 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Lin, Lin, Keyhani, Pu, Yang, Xiong, Shang, Mao, Yang, Zheng, Zhu, Mu, Li, Liang, Fan, MA, Ma, Xiong, Qiu and Guan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Junzhi Qiu, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China

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