Ophiocordycipitaceae G.H. Sung, J.M. Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora, Stud. Mycol. 57: 35 (2007)

MycoBank number: MB 504190; Index Fungorum number: IF 504190; Facesoffungi number: FoF 01315; 469 species.

Parasitic on arthropods, protozoans, rotifers, nematodes, humans, animals and fungi worldwide. Sexual morph: Stromata or subiculum darkly pigmented or brightly coloured, tough, fibrous, pliant to wiry, rarely fleshy, often with aperithecial apices or lateral pads. Ascomata superficial to completely immersed, ordinal or oblique in arrangement. Asci unitunicate, cylindrical, rarely fusoid to ellipsoid, usually with thickened and almost bulbous ascus apex. Ascospores fasciculate, hyaline, usually filiform, multi-septate, disarticulating into part-spores or non-disarticulating. Asexual morph: see notes (adapted from Maharachchikumbura et al. 2016b).

Type genusOphiocordyceps Petch

Notes – Ophiocordycipitaceae was introduced based on phylogenetic analyses. Quandt et al. (2014) included Ophiocordyceps, Tolypocladium, Polycephalomyces, Purpureocillium, Drechmeria and Harposporium in Ophiocordycipitaceae based on morphology and phylogenetic analyses. Spatafora et al. (2015) confirmed this classification and introduced species combinations ito Drechmeria, Harposporium, Ophiocordyceps and Purpureocillium. Perennicordyceps was introduced by Matočec et al. (2014) based on morphology and phylogenetic analyses. Later,Simmons et al. (2015) provided 23 species of Hirsutella with sequence data for 23 species of Hirsutella. Most species in this family produce dark pigmented, tough to pliant stromata, that often have aperithecial apices (Sung et al. 2007). Asexual generic names associated with-Ophiocordyceps include Sorosporella (Sorokin 1888), Hirsutella (Doassans & Patouillard 1892, Gams & Zare 2003), Hymenostilbe (Petch 1931a), Stilbella (Seifert 1985), Syngliocladium (Petch 1932), and Paraisaria (Samson & Brady 1983). Based on morphology and phylogenetic analyses, Ophiocordyceps was protected and other names suppressed in accordance with the “one fungus one name” (Quandt et al. 2014). Paraisaria was also resurrected as a genus under this family (Mongkolsamrit et al. 2019).

Tolypocladium was proposed for protection over Elaphocordyceps and Chaunopycnis based on molecular analysis (Quandt et al. 2014). There is a wide ranges of asexual lineages associated with this family, some of which are restricted in their phylogenetic distribution, while others are often found in distant lineages (Quandt et al. 2014). For example, verticillium-like conidiophores, a common asexual morph of many species in several hypocrealean families, including Ophiocordycipitaceae, Cordycipitaceae and Clavicipitaceae (Zare et al. 2000, Gams & Zare 2001, Sung et al. 2001, 2007). Thus the asexual genera links are unresolved and need further research.