Ophiocordycipitaceae G.H. Sung, J.M. Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora 2007.
Ophiocordycipitaceae was introduced by Sung et al. (2007) based on phylogenetic analyses that comprised two genera, Ophiocordyceps and Elaphocordyceps. The family was subsequently emended Quandt et al. (2014), adding six genera within OphioCordycipitaceae also based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses. Joseph et al. (2015) confirmed this classification system and introduced necessary species combinations into four genera of this family, including Drechmeria, Harposporium, Ophiocordyceps and Purpureocillium. Most species in this family produce dark pigmented, tough to pliant stromata that often possess aperithecial apices (Sung et al. 2007). The main distinguishing characters of this genus are ascospores that break into part-spores or remain whole at maturity and asci have thin apical caps (Petch 1931, 1933). Anamorphic genera associated with Ophiocordyceps include Sorosporella (Sorokin 1888), Hirsutella (Doassans and Patouillard 1892, Gams and Zare 2003), Hymenostilbe (Petch 1931b), Stilbella (Seifert 1985), Syngliocladium (Petch 1932), and Paraisaria (Samson and Brady 1983). According to morphological and phylogenetic analyses, the name Ophiocordyceps was protected, while most of the above names suppressed in accordance with the “one fungus one name” (Quandt et al. 2014). However, Paraisaria were resurrected from Ophiocordyceps as separate genera under OphioCordycipitaceae (Mongkolsamrit et al. 2019). Polycephalomyces was placed as an incertae sedis genus under OphioCordycipitaceae (Quandt et al. 2014). Perennicordyceps and Pleurocordyceps were separated from Polycephalomyces (Matočec et al. 2014, Wang et al. 2020). Thus, eleven genera, Drechmeria, Harposporium, Hirsutella, Hymenostilbe, Ophiocordyceps, Paraisaria, Perennicordyceps, Pleurocordyceps, Polycephalomyces, Purpureocillium and Tolypocladium, were included in Ophiocordycipitaceae (Sung et al. 2007, Quandt et al.. 2014, Kirk et al. 2013, Spatafora et al. 2015, Simmons et al. 2015, Maharachchikumbura et al. 2015, 2016, Wijayawardene et al. 2018, 2020, Wang et al. 2020).