A revision of Verticillium sect. Prostrata. II. Phylogenetic analyses of SSU and LSU nuclear rDNA sequences from anamorphs and teleomorphs of the Clavicipitaceae

Parsimony analyses were conducted on partial nucleotide sequences from the small and large subunits of the nuclear ribosomal DNA from representatives of Verticillium sect. Prostrata and related ascomycetes. The majority of sp ecies from V. sect. Prostrata were supported as members of the Clavicipitac eae, but they did not form a monophyletic group within the family. Three to six groups of fungi in V. sect. Prostrata were inferred in these analyses and were designated groups B1-D3 following the convention of Zare et al. (2 000). These groups integrated with other anamorph and teleomorph genera inc luding Cordyceps, which was also not supported as being monophyletic. Group B1 included the anamorph of C. militaris, K lecanii, V. psalliotae, V. fus isporum, V. aranearum, and V. antillanum. It was part of a larger clade des ignated Cordyceps s. stricto, which included entomopathogenic species of Co rdyceps and anamorphic species of Beauveria, Engyodontium, Microhilum, and Paecilomyces. Group B2 included V. lamellicola, 'Cephalosporium' lanosonive um, and 'Acremonium' obclavatum and was the most closely related clade to C ordyceps s. stricto. Group C represented a monophyletic clade of nematophag ous species that included V. balanoides, V. campanulatum, and V. sinense. I t was part of a weakly supported clade designated the C. ophioglossoides cl ade, which included fungicolous and entomopathogenic species of Cordyceps a nd anamorphic species of Hirsutella, Harposporium, and Paecilomyces. Within the C. ophioglossoides clade, V. sect. Prostrata group C was well supporte d as closely related to C. gunnii, a parasite of lepidopteran larvae. Group D was not monophyletic and consisted of three lineages including the rust parasite R epiphytum (D1), the mainly nematophagous species V. chlamydospor ium, V. suchlasporium, R cf. bactrosporum, and V. gonioides (D2), and the h omopteran pathogen V. pseudohemipterigenum (D3). These data did not confide ntly address the relationships of the three lineages of group D to one anot her or to other groups within the Clavicipitaceae.