Metarhizium alvesii sp. nov.: A new member of the Metarhizium anisopliae species complex

A strain within the Metarhizium anisopliae species complex was isolated in 2009 from a soil sample in a banana plantation in the municipality of Quixere, Northeastern region of Brazil. Previous studies showed that this insect-pathogenic strain does not fit with any current taxon within the M. anisopliae species complex, as determined by both genomic and by mass spectrometric analyses. In the present study, CG1123 (=ARSEF 13308) is shown to be morphologically indistinguishable from most species in this cosmopolitan species complex, whereas multilocus phylogeny confirmed its uniqueness and supports its recognition as a new species, Metarhizium alvesii, in honor of Sergio Batista Alves, one of the founders of insect pathology in Brazil.