Ophiocordyceps northeastensis X. Zhang, K. D. Hyde & T. C. Wen 2026, sp. nov.

Ophiocordyceps northeastensis X. Zhang, K. D. Hyde & T. C. Wen sp. nov. Fig. 4 Etymology. Referring to Lushuihe Village, Fusong County, Baishan City, Jilin Province, China, the locality belongs to Northeast China, where the type specimen was collected. Type. CHINA • Jilin Province, Baishan City, Fusong County, Lushuihe Village, 42°50'33.25"N, 127°78'23.05"E, 15 November 2024, Ting-Chi Wen, DB 3 (holotype: HKAS 149974) Description. Parasitic on larvae of Elateridae (Coleoptera). Sexual morph: undetermined. Asexual morph: Hyphomycetous. Primary synnemata emerging from the junction between head and tail of host, 36.6–64.5 × 0.5–0.9 mm. Secondary synnemata 4.6–25.5 mm in length, 0.7–1.5 mm in width, arising from primary synnemata, solitary, white, becoming brown with age, cylindrical, tapering gradually toward the apex. Phialides 22.3–29.0 × 1.0–4.5 µm (x ̄ = 26.3 × 2.4 µm, n = 30), with swollen base and slender neck, hyaline, directly produced on superficial hyphae of secondary branches. Conidia 5.3–9.4 × 2.1–4.9 µm (x ̄ = 7.6 × 3.8 µm, n = 30), unicellular, hyaline, oblong-ellipsoid to obovoid. Habitat and distribution. On larvae of Elateridae (Coleoptera) from rotten wood; currently known from northeast China. Additional specimens examined. CHINA • Jilin Province, Baishan City, Fusong County, Lushuihe Village, 42°50'33.25"N, 127°78'23.05"E, 15 November 2024, Ting-Chi Wen, DB 2 (paratype: HKAS 149973). Notes. The newly proposed species, O. northeastensis, has only been observed in its asexual morph, while its sister lineage, O. stylophora, has been reported exclusively in its sexual morph, making it impossible to compare their morphological differences. They are proposed as distinct species based on molecular phylogenetic relationships. The new species (DB 2203) differs from O. stylophora (OSC 111000) by 35 / 581 bp (6 %, 9 gaps) in ITS, 3 / 817 bp (0.4 %) in nrLSU, 389 / 1343 bp (28.9 %, 388 gaps) in nrSSU, and 33 / 780 bp (4.2 %) in tef 1 - α.