Species Diversity and Major Host/substrate Associations of the Genus (Hypocreales, Cordycipitaceae)

, a group of fungi with rich morphological and ecological diversity in Cordycipitaceae (Ascomycota, Hypocreales), has a wide distribution amongst diverse habitats. By surveying arthropod-pathogenic fungi in China and Southeast Asia over the last six years, nine spp. were found and identified. Five of these were shown to represent four known species and an undetermined species of . Four of these were new species and they were named and from China, from Laos and from Thailand. The new species were described and illustrated according to the morphological characteristics and molecular data. , which was isolated from spiders from different regions in China, Thailand and Vietnam, was described as a newly-recorded species from Thailand and Vietnam. The phylogenetic positions of the nine species were evaluated, based on phylogenetic inferences according to five loci, namely, ITS, nrLSU, , and . In this study, we reviewed the research progress achieved for regarding its taxonomy, species diversity, geographic distribution and major host/substrate associations. The morphological characteristics of 35 species in , including four novel species and 31 known taxa, were also compared.