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Diversity
Volume 18
Issue 6
10.3390/d18060313
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Article

Untapped Diversity of Termite-Associated Ophiocordyceps and a New Species from China

by
Quan-Ying Dong
1,*,
Jin-Lin Liu
1,
Chang-Kun Liu
1,
Chao Hu
2,
Jun Yang
1,
Wan-Li Xu
1 and
Cheng-Dong Xu
1
1
College of Agronomy, Chuxiong Normal University, Chuxiong 675000, China
2
Key Laboratory of East China Plant Conservation and Utilization, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, Shanghai 201602, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Diversity 2026, 18(6), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/d18060313 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 6 April 2026 / Revised: 18 May 2026 / Accepted: 21 May 2026 / Published: 23 May 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Phylogeny and Evolution)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Termite-associated Ophiocordyceps species remain understudied despite the high diversity of the genus. Here we describe Ophiocordyceps minuta (holotype CXAC 0026) from termites (Termitidae, Macrotermitinae) collected in Yunnan, China. Phylogenetic analyses based on nrLSU (nuclear large subunit ribosomal RNA), tef1-α (translation elongation factor 1-alpha), and rpb2 (RNA polymerase II second largest subunit) sequences resolve this fungus as a distinct lineage. Notably, deep genetic divergence (65 bp in tef1-α) between the two ex-type strains of the allied O. fusiformis (BCC 93025 and BCC 93026) reveals cryptic diversity within that nominal species. Beyond the new species, a morphological assessment of termite-associated Ophiocordyceps indicates that perithecial immersion status, ascospore morphology, and conidial features are the most taxonomically valuable characters for this ecological group. These findings expand the known diversity in southwest China and underscore the importance of integrating phylogenetic data with key morphological traits for species delimitation in under-explored habitats.
Keywords: new taxa; Ophiocordyceps; phylogeny; species diversity; taxonomy new taxa; Ophiocordyceps; phylogeny; species diversity; taxonomy

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MDPI and ACS Style

Dong, Q.-Y.; Liu, J.-L.; Liu, C.-K.; Hu, C.; Yang, J.; Xu, W.-L.; Xu, C.-D. Untapped Diversity of Termite-Associated Ophiocordyceps and a New Species from China. Diversity 2026, 18, 313. https://doi.org/10.3390/d18060313

AMA Style

Dong Q-Y, Liu J-L, Liu C-K, Hu C, Yang J, Xu W-L, Xu C-D. Untapped Diversity of Termite-Associated Ophiocordyceps and a New Species from China. Diversity. 2026; 18(6):313. https://doi.org/10.3390/d18060313

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dong, Quan-Ying, Jin-Lin Liu, Chang-Kun Liu, Chao Hu, Jun Yang, Wan-Li Xu, and Cheng-Dong Xu. 2026. "Untapped Diversity of Termite-Associated Ophiocordyceps and a New Species from China" Diversity 18, no. 6: 313. https://doi.org/10.3390/d18060313

APA Style

Dong, Q.-Y., Liu, J.-L., Liu, C.-K., Hu, C., Yang, J., Xu, W.-L., & Xu, C.-D. (2026). Untapped Diversity of Termite-Associated Ophiocordyceps and a New Species from China. Diversity, 18(6), 313. https://doi.org/10.3390/d18060313

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