Cordyceps tenuipes (Peck) Kepler et al.

Zha, Ling-Sheng, Wen, Ting-Chi, Huang, Shi-Ke, Boonmee, Saranyaphat & Eungwanichayapant, Prapassorn D., 2019, Taxonomy and biology of Cordyceps qingchengensis sp. nov. and its allies, Phytotaxa 416 (1), pp. 14-24 : 16-18

Cordyceps tenuipes (Peck) Kepler et al. ( Fig. 2 )

≡ Isaria tenuipes Peck

≡ Paecilomyces tenuipes (Peck) Samson

= Cordyceps takaomontana Yakush. & Kumaz.

Notes:— Cordyceps takaomontana was originally described and illustrated by Kobayasi (1941) with the type specimen from Japan. Kepler et al. (2017) provided a photograph of C. takaomontana co-occurring with Isaria tenuipes . According to the information of the two reports above, C. takaomontana should grow on slender cocooned pupae of small moths (may represent several groups of Lepidoptera ), its stromata are single to several, abbreviated, clavate, unbranched and yellow, and its fertile heads are distinctly expanded.

In China, Liang et al. (2003) described a specimen from Guizhou as C. takaomontana . The specimen grew on a larva ( Lepidoptera ), its stromata are fasciculate, orange and slender, and its fertile heads are only slightly expanded. These characters do not match the characters of C. takaomontana , so we think the specimen is not C. takaomontana . Unfortunately, the specimen has no DNA sequence data.

Another description of C. takaomontana from China was provided by Li et al. (2007) who collected a specimen from Anhui. The specimen grew on a large and nearly rounded (slightly ovate) cocooned pupae ( Lepidoptera ), its stromata were fasciculate, slender and light yellow, and its fertile heads were also only slightly expanded. Due to these different characters, we think this specimen is also not C. takaomontana . The specimen also lacks DNA sequence data.

Though C. takaomontana is scarce, its asexual morph, I. tenuipes is quite common ( Fig. 2 ). In the wild, I. tenuipes can readily be found on leaf litter or humus layer in humid environments. It generally grows on slender and cocooned pupae of numerous small moths ( Lepidoptera ), such as Arctiidae ( Fig. 2 ). Old Arctiidae larvae move into shallow soil layer, or to soil surface and hide in dead leaves to pupate. During the process of pupation, probably due to continuous rainfall or very humid environment, these old larvae are easily infected by conidia of I. tenuipes that attach to their body surface. Isaria tenuipes grows rapidly and under suitable humidity, temperature and light, synnemata will soon be produced on the slender and cocooned pupae instead of the previous larvae. The insects are infected as old larvae and then die as cocooned pupae.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Asexual morph of Cordyceps tenuipes in the wild.