Microfungi associated with dead caterpillars and spiders in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, P. R. China Author Yang, Erfu 0000-0003-2385-6402 Gardening and Horticulture Department, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, P. R. China & Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing, Yunnan 655011, P. R. China & Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand erfu20170431@gmail.com Author Karunarathna, Samantha C. 0000-0001-7080-0781 Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing, Yunnan 655011, P. R. China & National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS), Kandy 2000, Sri Lanka samanthakarunarathna@gmail.com Author Priyashantha, Alviti Kankanamalage Hasith 0000-0003-4809-2605 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand priyashanthahasith@gmail.com Author Promputtha, Itthayakorn 0000-0003-3376-4376 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand itthayakorn.p@cmu.ac.th Author Chen, Xuemei 0009-0004-8631-0735 Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing, Yunnan 655011, P. R. China e3396023108@gmail.com Author Elgorban, Abdallah M. 0000-0003-3664-7853 Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia aelgorban@ksu.edu.sa Author Bashir, Nawaz Haider 0000-0003-0206-2435 Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing, Yunnan 655011, P. R. China nawazhaider@caf.ac.cn Author Tibpromma, Saowaluck 0000-0002-4706-6547 Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing, Yunnan 655011, P. R. China saowaluckfai@gmail.com Author Dossa, Gbadamassi G. O. 0000-0001-9767-7306 Gardening and Horticulture Department, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, P. R. China dgbadamassi@gmail.com text Phytotaxa 2024 2024-04-17 644 4 243 257 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.644.4.1 journal article 10.11646/phytotaxa.644.4.1 1179-3163 13214762 Purpureocillium atypicola (Yasuda) Spatafora, Hywel-Jones & Luangsa-ard , IMA Fungus 6 (2): 361 (2015) Index Fungorum number: IF816152 Descriptions: Saprobic or entomopathogenic on spider hosts, appearing felty, powdery, pulverulent, velutinous, or flocculose, with abundant sporulation. Mycelium 2–5 μm wide (x̄ = 3.5 μm, n = 20), hyaline, septate, branched, tubular, thick-walled, terminal round. Sexual morph: undetermined. Asexual morph: Conidiophores 3.2–4.5 μm wide, cylindrical straight to slightly curved, septate, smooth-walled, densely grouped, each bearing 2–6 compacted phialides around the stalk. Conidiogenous cells 4–6.5 × 2–3 μm (x̄ = 5.5 × 2 μm, n = 20), solitary or occurring in lateral clusters, subglobose to ampulliform. Conidia 3–5 × 1.5–3 μm (x̄ = 4.5 × 2 μm, n = 20), catenated, broadly ellipsoidal to cylindrical when mature, blunt ends, hyaline, aseptate, smooth-walled, with or without oil droplets. Chlamydospores absent. Culture characteristics: Aerial mycelia dense, raised, white to greyish brown in age, lobate edge, easily sporulated in PDA within one month, numerous conidia spread on colony surface, and purple to lilac in reflected light, yellowishbrown from the reverse. Brown pigments produced in PDA media. Known substratum: Spider ( Actinopus trapdoor ) ( Coyle et al. 1990 ); Spider ( Nomuraea atypicola ) ( Hywel-Jones & Sivichai 1995 ); Spider ( Li et al. 2005 , This study); Trapdoor spider ( Evans 2013 ); Spider ( Nemesiidae , Araneae ) ( Catania et al. 2018 ). FIGURE 3 . Curvularia geniculata (HKAS 129046). a Mycelia on a dead caterpillar; b , c obverse and reverse in PDA; d–f stromata on PDA; g–j conidiophores, and conidiogenous cells bearing conidia; k–n conidia. FIGURE 4. Purpureocillium atypicola (HKAS 129045). a P. atypicola colonized on a dead spider; b , c close-up of colonies; d–f , h , i conidiophores bearing conidiogenous cells and conidia stained by congo red reagent; g mycelium stained by congo red reagent; j conidia stained by congo red reagent; k germinated conidia; l , m colonies on PDA. Known distribution: China ( Li et al. 2005 , this study); Thailand ( Hywel-Jones & Sivichai 1995 ); Ecuador ( Evans 2013 ); Argentina ( Coyle et al. 1990 , Catania et al. 2018 ). Material examined: China , Yunnan Province , Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden , on dead bodies of spiders, 20 July 2022 , Dossa G.G.O. , Tro1 ( HKAS 129045 ), living culture KUNCC 23-13354 = KUNCC23-13355 . Notes: Purpureocillium was known as a common spider pathogen ( Spatafora et al. 2015 ). Our isolates share a similar anamorph with P. atypicola (synonyms: Cordyceps cylindrica , Nomuraea atypicola , and Spicaria atypicola ), with broadly ellipsoidal to cylindrical conidia, and similar size conidia ( Tzean et al. 1997 ). The BLASTn results of all ITS , LSU , SSU , tef-a , and rpb1 obtained 99–100% similarity with P. atypicola (strains ARSEF7231, CBS 744.73, BUN509, and BUN535). In addition, the multi-gene phylogenetic analyses also indicated our isolates grouped with P. atypicola strains with high statistical support ( 100 in ML; 1 in BI; Figure 2 ). Because P. atypicola has been found associated with spider hosts worldwide (including China ), here we report a new collection of P. atypicola ( Greenstone et al. 1987 , Coyle et al. 1990 , Tzean et al. 1997 , Shrestha et al. 2019 ) with detailed morphological characteristics ( Figure 4 ).