Fungalpedia – Note 1685, Lecanicillium
Lecanicillium W. Gams & Zare, Nova Hedwigia 72(3-4): 332 (2001)
Sordariomycetes, Hypocreomycetidae, Hypocreales, Cordycipitaceae
Index Fungorum number: IF 28528; 35 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2021), 35 species with sequence data.
Parasitic or saprobic on arthropods, nematodes, plants and fungi. Asexual morph: Conidiophores arising from aerial or prostrate hyphae. Phialides solitary or verticillate, slender, discrete, tapering towards the apex, occasionally, presenting secondary branch. Conidia hyaline, ellipsoidal, cylindrical, fusiform to falcate, adhering in slimy masses or fascicles at right angles to phialide apex at maturity. Solitary conidia produced on each phialide have been observed in a few species of this genus (Wei et al. 2018). Sexual morph: Torrubiella, Cordyceps (Zare & Gams 2001).
Type species: Lecanicillium lecanii (Zimm.) Zare & W. Gams, in Gams & Zare, Nova Hedwigia 72(3-4): 333 (2001)
Notes: Lecanicillium was established by Zare & Gams (2001). However, this generic name has been rejected by Kepler et al. (2017) because the type species L. lecanii had been synonymized under Akanthomyces. In view of the fact that this genus is polyphyletic and many species are incertae sedis members, the treatment of Kepler et al. (2017) was not fully agreed by some authors who afterward added new species under Lecanicillium. Wang et al. (2020) did not make major revision on this genus, but added two new genera (Flavocillium and Liangia) that have Lecanicillium-like asexual morphs. More multigene-based taxa sampling are called for the clarification of this genus.
Other species: Lecanicillium uredinophilum M.J. Park, S.B. Hong & H.D. Shin
Reference