Phylogeny and reassessment of the genus Tolypocladium s. lato.: Proposing a new genus, three new species and two combinations

This study presents a phylogenetic reassessment and taxonomic revision of the genus Tolypocladium s. str. in Ophiocordycipitaceae . A phylogenetic analysis based on five loci (ITS, LSU, rpb1 , rpb2 , and tef -1α) was conducted, combined with morphological characters and host associations. Traditionally, Tolypocladium species are regarded as polyphyletic, with species distributed across three families of Hypocreales : Ophiocordycipitaceae , Cordycipitaceae , and Clavicipitaceae . Consequently, we propose a new genus, Tolypocladiopsis , to accommodate Tolypocladium extinguens (in Cordycipitaceae ); describe three new species, Tolypocladium guizhouense , T. tongrenense , and T. zongqii , from Fanjing Mountain, Guizhou Province, China. Tolypocladium lignicola is accommodated in Metapochonia s. str., and we accordingly introduce M. lignicola . Our findings refine the generic delimitation of Tolypocladium , resolve long-standing taxonomic ambiguities, underscore the misleading nature of morphological convergence in hypocrealean anamorphs, and advocate for an integrative taxonomy that combines molecular phylogenetics with detailed morphological examination.