New treasures in Cordycipitaceae: Fungicolous fungi associated with Pseudocercospora fijiensis and P. musae in Brazil, including Matutinistella gen. nov.

Abstract

Cordycipitaceae is a large family belonging to the order Hypocreales, including cosmopolitan species found on different substrates. This family includes species with different lifestyles such as entomopathogenic, endophytic, and mycoparasitic fungi. Some mycoparasitic species in this family attack phytopathogenic fungi. We identified species of Cordycipitaceae found during a survey of fungicolous fungi associated with Pseudocercospora fijiensis and P. musae in Brazil. Based on morphological characters combined with phylogenetic analysis of ITS, LSU, SSU, RPB1, RPB2, and TEF1-α, we propose a new genus in Cordycipitaceae, namely Matutinistella, with its type species M. brasiliensis, and a new species of the genus Simplicillium, namely S. pseudocercosporicola. Furthermore, we report P. fijiensis as a new host of the mycoparasitic fungus Simplicillium lanosoniveum. In this study we newly report fungicolous fungi of Cordycipitaceae associated with the causal agents of Black Sigatoka and Yellow Sigatoka on banana crops. We provide relevant information for future work involving control measures for these diseases that cause major losses in banana crops. Citation: Custódio FA, Pereira OL (2025). New treasures in Cordycipitaceae: Fungicolous fungi associated with Pseudocercospora fijiensis and P. musae in Brazil, including Matutinistella gen. nov. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 15: 133-152. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2025.15.06.