Polycephalomycetaceae Y.P. Xiao, Y.B Wang, T.C. Wen, H. Yu & K.D. Hyde
The family Polycephalomycetaceae was recently erected to accommodate a distinct clade of clavicipitoid fungi formerly placed in Ophiocordycipitaceae. Multilocus phylogenetic analyses, combined with morphological evidence, strongly supported the recognition of this lineage as a separate family (Xiao et al. 2023). Currently, Polycephalomycetaceae comprises three genera: Polycephalomyces, Perennicordyceps, and Pleurocordyceps (Kobayasi 1941, Matočec et al. 2014, Wang et al. 2021). Members of the family are primarily entomopathogenic or fungicolous, producing synnemata with two types of conidiogenous cells (α- and β-phialides) and one-celled, hyaline conidia. The establishment of Polycephalomycetaceae underscores the phylogenetic diversity of clavicipitoid fungi within Hypocreales and provides a more stable framework for their taxonomy.