Phylogenetic position of Pseudohypocrea (Hypocreales)

Based on morphological characteristics, a hypocrea-like collection from Hunan Province was found to be identical with Pseudohypocrea hongkongensis, which was originally reported only from Hong Kong, China. A living culture of the fungus was obtained from fresh ascomata, and its asexual morph is described for the first time. The gross morphology and anatomic structure of the fungus and the type species of Pseudohypocrea were compared in detail. Their phylogenetic positions were explored based on sequence analyses of the combined ITS and nrLSU regions. Both morphological and molecular data support placing Pseudohypocrea in synonymy with Trichoderma. Two new combinations, T. citrinellum comb. nov. and T. hongkongense comb. nov., are thus proposed. The phylogenetic relationships of T. hongkongense and other members of the genus are confirmed by sequence analyses of the combined ITS, rpb2 and tef1 regions.