Hypocrea virens sp nov., the teleomorph of Trichoderma virens

The new species Hypocrea virens, has been found to be the teleomorph of Trichoderma virens, a species commonly used in biological control applications. This conclusion is based on the comparison of morphological and molecular data from four isolates of T. virens and a single collection and isolate of H. virens. Data for several morphological characters, including colony and growth characteristics, were collected. In addition, sequence data from ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2 rDNA and translation elongation factor (tef-1 alpha) were analyzed for the five isolates. Analysis of phenotypic characters show that cultures and microscopic characters of the anamorph of H. virens are indistinguishable from those of T. virens. This is consistent with sequence data from ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2 rDNA which show that the sequence of H. virens is identical to that of the ex-type isolate of T virens. Despite minor variation in tef-1 alpha sequences, T. virens isolates and H. virens form a monophyletic group that is different from other examined species of Hypocrea; this clade is supported by a 100% bootstrap value. Molecular and morphological data confirm the connection between H. virens and T. virens.