Three new Pochonia taxa (Clavicipitaceae) from soils in Japan.

Fifty Pochonia strains were isolated from soil samples collected throughout Japan. Using a combination of micromorphological characters and multigene (SSU, LSU, TEF, RPB1, RPB2) phylogenics, seven taxa were identified, three of which previously were undescribed. In this paper we describe the new species, P. boninensis, and two new varieties, P. chlamydosporia var. ellipsospora and var. spinulospora. They were recovered from Chichi-jima, Aogashima and Okinawa's main island. The three new taxa are distinguished from known species and varieties by conidial morphology. We also report the first finding of P. rubescens from Japan.