Cryptic Diversity of Isaria -like Species in Guizhou, China

Many -like species have recently been moved into more appropriate genera. However, more robust molecular phylogenetic analyses are still required for -like fungi to ensure accurate taxonomic identification. We analyzed these -like strains using multi-gene phylogenetics. Cryptic diversity was discovered in several strains, and two new species, and , are proposed. Our results reveal that more attention needs to be paid to cryptic intraspecific diversity across different isolates and genotypes of the -like species, some of which will need to be transferred to . Interestingly, , with a very broad host distribution, has been widely used as a medicinal and edible cordycipitoid fungus.