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Metarhizium frigidum sp. nov.: a cryptic species of M. anisopliae and a member of the M. flavoviride complex

     National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20894, and Insect Biocontrol Laboratory, USDA, ARS, BARC-West, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350

Stephen A. Rehner

     Insect Biocontrol Laboratory, USDA, ARS, BARC-West, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350

Richard A. Humber

     USDA/ARS Plant, Soil and Nutritional Laboratory, Ithaca, New York 14853

The anamorph genus Metarhizium is composed of arthropod pathogens, several with broad geographic and host ranges. Members of the genus, including ‘‘M. anisopliae var. frigidum’’ nomen nudum and Metarhizium flavoviride, have been used as biological insecticides. In a recent revision of the genus the variety ‘‘M. anisopliae var. frigidum’’ was suggested to be a synonym of M. flavoviride based largely on ITS sequence phylogenetic analysis. In this study we conducted morphological evaluations and multigene phylogenetic analyses with EF-1, RPB1 and RPB2 for strains of M. flavoviride and ‘‘M. anisopliae var. frigidum.’’ Included in these evaluations were the ex-type of M. flavoviride var. flavoviride and what likely would be considered the ‘‘ex-type’ of the invalidly published taxon ‘‘M. anisopliae var. frigidum’’. Based on morphological and molecular evidence we conclude that ‘‘M. anisopliae var. frigidum’’ is distinct from M. flavoviride and the taxon M. frigidum sp. nov. is described.

Key words: biocontrol, Clavicipitaceae, Cordyceps, cryptic species, entomopathogen