CHEMOTAXONOMIC DISCRIMINATION AMONG THE FUNGAL GENERA TOLYPOCLADIUM, BEAUVERIA AND PAECILOMYCES

Fungi of the genera Beauveria and Paecilomyces were found to produce c yclotetradepsipeptides, beauverolides. Production of beauverolides was not detected at the genus Tolypocladium. Analysis of beauverolides th erefore provides a very simple chemotaxonomic test which seems to be s uitable for fast discrimination between the genera Beauveria vs Tolypo cladium and complementing morphological examination. A GC-MS study of beta-hydroxy acid distribution in the beauverolide hydrolyzates reveal ed that all strains produce gamma-methyl-beta-hydroxy acids only. Thei r occurrence thus cannot be used as a taxonomic marker of different sp ecies within the genera Beauveria and Paecilomyces.