Polycephalomyces xianhepingensis sp. nov. (Polycephalomycetaceae, Hypocreales) associated with a lepidopteran larva from southwest China

A new Polycephalomyces species collected on lepidopteran larvae in the karst region of Guizhou Province, China, is introduced here as Pol. xianhepingensis sp. nov., based on morphology and phylogenetic analyses. Polycephalomyces xianhepingensis is characterized by entangled and branched synnemata, without a fertile head, and cylindrical to obovoid conidia. Phylogenetic analyses of the new species were performed based on six loci (ITS, SSU, LSU, TEF-1α, RPB1, and RPB2). The multilocus phylogenetic analyses indicated that the new species belongs to the genus Polycephalomyces. The new species was introduced coupled with a description, illustration, and phylogenetic analysis.