Published February 17, 2026
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Polycephalomycetaceae Y. P. Xiao, Y. B. Wang, T. C. Wen, H. Yu & K. D. Hyde 2023
Authors/Creators
- 1. State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China & Engineering Research Center of Southwest Bio-Pharmaceutical Resources, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China & Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand & School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
- 2. State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China & Engineering Research Center of Southwest Bio-Pharmaceutical Resources, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
- 3. Department of Plant Pathology, Agricultural College, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China
- 4. Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Microbial Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- 5. Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
- 6. School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
Description
Polycephalomycetaceae Y. P. Xiao, Y. B. Wang, T. C. Wen, H. Yu & K. D. Hyde, 2023.
Polycephalomyces Kobayasi 1941.
Notes.
Polycephalomyces is a genus established by Kobayasi (1941), with Po. formosus as its type species. Kepler et al. (2013) reclassified several species into Polycephalomyces based on molecular phylogenetic analyses, confirming its placement within Ophiocordycipitaceae under the “ One Fungus One Name ” principle. This principle unifies the taxonomies of sexual and asexual morphs (Hawksworth et al. 2011; Kepler et al. 2013; Quandt et al. 2014). Matočec et al. (2014) proposed a new genus, Perennicordyceps, for four Polycephalomyces species based on their distinct morphology, including superficial perithecia and hirsutella- or acremonium-like anamorphs. Xiao et al. (2023) transferred Polycephalomyces to Polycephalomycetaceae based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses. Species within this genus exhibit a broad host range, parasitizing insects and other fungi (e. g., Ophiocordyceps spp. and Elaphomyces spp.), highlighting their ecological versatility (Bischoff et al. 2005; Van Vooren and Audibert 2005; Ban et al. 2009; Wang et al. 2012; Matočec et al. 2014; Wang et al. 2015 a, 2015 b; Xiao et al. 2018; Sun et al. 2019; Wang et al. 2021; Xiao et al. 2023). In this study, we describe two new species of Polycephalomyces, further expanding the known diversity of this ecologically and taxonomically significant genus.
Notes
Published as part of Zhang, Xian, Peng, Xing-Can, Wei, De-Ping, Wang, Yi, Norphanphoun, Chada, Hongsanan, Sinang, Xie, Ning, Liu, Zhong-Liang, Mapook, Ausana, Kang, Ji-Chuan, Saichana, Natsaran, Hyde, Kevin D. & Wen, Ting-Chi, 2026, Reappraisal of the phylogenetic relationships of hirsutella-like fungi across Ophiocordycipitaceae and Polycephalomycetaceae (Hypocreales, Sordariomycetes), and the description of seven new species, pp. e 171084 in IMA Fungus 17 on page e171084, DOI: 10.3897/imafungus.17.171084
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Linked records
Additional details
Identifiers
Biodiversity
- Scientific name authorship
- Y. P. Xiao, Y. B. Wang, T. C. Wen, H. Yu & K. D. Hyde
- Kingdom
- Fungi
- Phylum
- Ascomycota
- Order
- Hypocreales
- Family
- Polycephalomycetaceae
- Taxon rank
- family
- Taxonomic concept label
- Polycephalomycetaceae Xiao, 2023 sec. Zhang, Peng, Wei, Wang, Norphanphoun, Hongsanan, Xie, Liu, Mapook, Kang, Saichana, Hyde & Wen, 2026
References
- Kobayasi Y (1941) The genus Cordyceps and its allies. Science Reports of the Tokyo Bunrika Daigaku 5: 53–260.
- Kepler R, Ban S, Nakagiri A et al. (2013) The phylogenetic placement of hypocrealean insect pathogens in the genus Polycephalomyces: an application of One Fungus One Name. Fungal Biology 117 (9): 611–622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funbio.2013.06.002
- Hawksworth DL, Crous PW, Redhead SA et al. (2011) The Amsterdam declaration on fungal nomenclature. IMA fungus 2 (1): 105–111. https://doi.org/10.5598/imafungus.2011.02.01.14
- Quandt CA, Kepler RM, Gams W et al. (2014) Phylogenetic-based nomenclatural proposals for Ophiocordycipitaceae (Hypocreales) with new combinations in Tolypocladium. IMA Fungus 5: 121–134. https://doi.org/10.5598/imafungus.2014.05.01.12
- Matočec N, Kušan I, Ozimec R (2014) The genus Polycephalomyces (Hypocreales) in the frame of monitoring Veternica cave (Croatia) with a new segregate genus Perennicordyceps. Ascomycete. org 6 (5): 125–133.
- Xiao YP, Wang YB, Hyde KD et al. (2023) Polycephalomycetaceae, a new family of clavicipitoid fungi segregates from Ophiocordycipitaceae. Fungal Diversity, 1–76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-023-00517-4
- Bischoff JF, Chaverri P, White Jr JF (2005) Clarification of the host substrate of Ascopolyporus and description of Ascopolyporus philodendrus sp. nov. Mycologia 97 (3): 710–717. https://doi.org/10.1080/15572536.2006.11832800
- Van Vooren N, Audibert C (2005) Révision du complexe " Cordyceps sphecocephala ". 1 re partie: les guêpes végétales. Publications de la Société Linnéenne de Lyon 74 (7): 221–254. https://doi.org/10.3406/linly.2005.13604
- Ban S, Sakane T, Toyama K et al. (2009) Teleomorph – anamorph relationships and reclassification of Cordyceps cuboidea and its allied species. Mycoscience 50 (4): 261–272. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10267-008-0480-Y
- Wang WJ, Wang XL, Li Y et al. (2012) Molecular and morphological studies of Paecilomyces sinensis reveal a new clade in clavicipitaceous fungi and its new systematic position. Systematics and Biodiversity 10 (2): 221–232. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2012.690784
- Wang YB, Yu H, Dai YD et al. (2015 a) Polycephalomyces agaricus, a new hyperparasite of Ophiocordyceps sp. infecting melolonthid larvae in southwestern China. Mycological Progress 14: 70–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11557-015-1090-7
- Wang YB, Yu H, Dai YD et al. (2015 b) Polycephalomyces yunnanensis (Hypocreales), a new species of Polycephalomyces parasitizing Ophiocordyceps nutans and stink bugs (hemipteran adults). Phytotaxa 208 (1): 34–44. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.00.0.0
- Xiao YP, Wen TC, Hongsanan S et al. (2018) Multigene phylogenetics of Polycephalomyces (Ophiocordycipitaceae, Hypocreales), with two new species from Thailand. Scientific Reports 8 (1): 18087. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-36792-4
- Sun JZ, Liu XZ, McKenzie EH et al. (2019) Fungicolous fungi: terminology, diversity, distribution, evolution, and species checklist. Fungal Diversity 95: 337–430. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-019-00422-9
- Wang YH, Ban S, Wang WJ et al. (2021) Pleurocordyceps gen. nov. for a clade of fungi previously included in Polycephalomyces based on molecular phylogeny and morphology. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 59 (5): 1065–1080. https://doi.org/10.1111/jse.12705