Table 2.

Morphological and ecological comparison between Ophiocordyceps species associated with blattodean insects (termites and cockroaches)

Species	Stromata	Perithecia	Asci	Ascospores	Distribution	Death position	Host	Reference
Ophiocordyceps asiatica	Solitary, simple, filiform, up to 15 cm long, orange-brown	Superficial, globose to sub-globose, 240–320 × 180–260 μm	filiform 92.5–175 × 5–6.3 μm	whole, septate, 90–132.5 × 1–2 μm	Thailand	Buried in soil	Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste)	Tasanathai et al. (2019)
Ophiocordyceps brunneirubra	Solitary, simple or branched, narrowly clavate, slender and wiry, 9.5 cm long, orange brown to red brown	Immersed, ovoid, 300–400 × 130–200 μm	Cylindrical, 155–225 × 4.5–8 μm	Whole, filiform, septate, 156.5–197.5 × 2–3 μm	Thailand	Buried in soil	Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste)	Tasanathai et al. (2019)
Ophiocordyceps khokpasiensis	Solitary, simple, cylindrical 16 cm long, brown	pseudo-immersed, sub-globose 200–250 × 120–200 μm	Filiform, 62.5–125 × 4–5 μm	Whole, filiform, 46–90 × 2–3 μm	Thailand	Buried in soil	Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste)	Tasanathai et al. (2019)
Ophiocordyceps mosingtoensis	Solitary, simple, cylindrical, 11 cm long, brown to grey	Pseudo-immersed, ovoid, 400–500 × 200–300 μm	Filiform, 187.5–287.5 × 4.5–7.5 μm	Whole, filiform, septate, 230–315 × 1.5–3 μm	Thailand	Buried in soil	Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste)	Tasanathai et al. (2019)
Ophiocordyceps pseudocommunis	Solitary, simple, cylindrical, up to 21 cm long, yellow brown	Superficial, sub-globose 520–600 × 360–440 μm	Filiform, 160–165 × 14–17	Whole with 7–8 septa, 107.5–147.5 × 6–7.5	Thailand	Buried in soil	Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste)	Tasanathai et al. (2019)
Ophiocordyceps communis	Solitary, simple, filiform, 5–13 cm long, yellow brown	Superficial 285–675 × 195–390 μm	Filiform, 215–250 × 15 μm	Whole, filiform, 100–180 × 5–6 μm	Thailand	Soil	Blattodea, Isoptera	Sung et al. (2007)
Ophiocordyceps pseudorhizoidea	Solitary, simple, filiform, up to 21 cm long, light brown	Superficial, ovoid, 280–390 × 160–220 μm	Cylindrical, 120–150 × 5–7 μm	Whole, septate, 65–82.5 × 2–3 μm	Thailand	Buried in soil	Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste)	Tasanathai et al. (2019)
Ophiocordyceps termiticola	Solitary, simple, filiform, up to 14 cm long, yellow brown	Pseudo-immersed, globose to sub-globose, 200–280 × 150–250 μm	Filiform, 62.5–110 × 4–6 μm	Whole, filiform, 85 × 2 μm	Thailand	Buried in soil	Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste)	Tasanathai et al. (2019)
Ophiocordyceps blattae	Solitary, cylindric, 1 cm long, grey to lavender (“tissue” dark red-brown)	Immersed, conoid, 200 × 150 μm	Cylindrico–clavate, 4 or 8-spored 100–130 × 8–12 μm	Whole, multi-septate, elongated-fusoid, 50–80 × 3–4 μm	Sri Lanka	Underside of leaves	Blattodea, Blattidae	Petch (1924)
Ophiocordyceps salganeicola	One or two, clavate to cylindrical, 1–7 × 0.15 cm, cream to brown	Immersed to semi-immersed, ovoid to flask-shaped, (325–) 365 (− 408) ×  100–140 μm	Elongated clavate, hyaline, 8-spored, 150–200 × 7–11 μm	Whole, hyaline, 70–100 × 3 μm, 7-septate	Japan	Inside dead wood	Blattodea, Blaberidae, Panesthiinae (adult of Salganea esakii, S. taiwanensis)	This study
Ophiocordyceps blattarioides	Gregarious, Simple, capitate, fertile part ovoid to sub-globoid, chestnut brown, 1.4–2 cm long	Immersed, ellipsoid, (650–) 760–800 × 220–300 μm	Cylindrical, (180–) 250 (−300) ×  4–5 μm	Partspores, truncate, 6–12 (− 16) ×  1.5 μm	Belize, Colombia, Ecuador	Leaf litter	Blattodea, Blattidae, Dictyoptera (adult of Neostylopyga sp.)	Sanjuan et al. (2015)
Ophiocordyceps bispora	Multiple (20–30), clavate, simple of branched, cream with dark perithecia, 1.5 × 0.15 cm	Globose, 300–375 × 375 μm	Clavate, 2-spored, 162–163 × 58–61 μm	Eliptical, flattened in one side, thick walled, dark, 95–105 × 34–35.4 μm	Tanzania, Kenya	Underneath stone	Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitidae, (Macrotermes natalensis, M. subhyalinus, M. michealseni)	Stifler 1941; Ochiel et al. (1997)
Ophiocordyceps octospora	Multiple, clavate, 0.2–0.3 cm long	Sub-globose to ovoid, 180–220 × 200 μm	Clavate, 8-spored, 250 × 60 μm	Cylindric, flattened in one side curved on the other, no septa, 40–70 × 15–30 μm	Mexico	Near a stone wall	Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae (Tenuirostitermes tenuirostris)	Blackwell and Gilbertson (1981)