MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETIC STUDY OF A TERMITE PATHOGEN CORDYCEPIOIDEUS-BISPORUS

The termite pathogen Cordycepioideus bisporus is characterized by peri thecia produced in a Cordyceps-like stroma, ascospores that are dark, thick-walled and 8-15 septate at maturity, and a Hirsutella anamorph. The genus traditionally has been placed in the Hypocreales on the basi s of purported apical paraphyses and immature ascospore features; howe ver, phylogenetic analyses of partial sequences of the nuclear small a nd large subunit ribosomal DNA showed a close relationship between C. bisporus and clavicipitaceous ascomycetes, which is in agreement with a newer understanding of morphological characters of this species. Hir sutella thompsonii was the sister taxon to C. bisporus, and several in sect parasitic species of Cordyceps also showed close relationships to C. bisporus and H. thompsonii. The results of this study suggest stro ngly that the genus Cordycepioideus belongs within the Clavicipitaceae , not with other hypocrealean species where the genus originally was p laced.