Cordyceps bassiana (asexual stage Beauveriabassiana) is a widely distributed entomopathogenic fungus that infects hundreds of various insects. It produces a number of secondary metabolites, including insect toxins beauvericin and bassianolide and pigment tenellin. In the present study, members of NRPS and PKS-NRPS hybrid genes were predicted from whole genome sequences of eighteen different fungal species belonging to five families of Hypocreales (Cordycipitaceae, Clavicipitaceae, Ophiocordycipitaceae, Hypocreaceae and Nectriaceae) using antiSMASH ver. 1.2.2. Phylogeny using all predicted adenylation (A) domains was drawn in order to identify potential orthologous genes of beauvericin synthetase (BbBEAS) and bassianolide synthetase (BbBSLS) in Hypocreales. The orthologs were examined to understand the evolution of beauvericin and bassianolide synthetase genes. Phylogenetic tree shows grouping of A1 and A2 domains of BbBEAS, BbBSLS and enniatin synthetases in two separate clades indicating the origin of genes from fusion of two distantly related modules. Species phylogeny of C. bassiana and its allies is congruent with gene trees of BbBEAS and BbBSLS, suggesting that the gene fusion event predates the species divergence. In the inferred phylogeny, A1 domain of BbBEAS showed highest similarity with that of BbBSLS, followed by those of Fusarium equiseti enniatin synthetase and Xylariasp. bassianolide synthetase. Syntenic analysis of beauvericin gene clusters of C. bassiana and closely related species represents that C. militaris lost the BbBEAS gene in evolution. Synteny of bassianolide gene clusters shows the loss of NRPS genes encoding BbBSLS in B. pseudobassiana, Isaria tenuipes, I. farinosa and C. pruinosa. BbBEAS and 2-ketoisovalerate reductase (kivr) genes are found conserved in beauvericin and enniatin synthesizing gene clusters.

Cordyceps sensu lato contains more than 400 entomopathogenic and mycoparasitic species. It was traditionally classified in Clavicipitaceae of Hypocreales and recently phylogenetically separated into several genera such as Cordyceps Fr. 1818 emend. G. H. Sung et al.(Cordycipitaceae Kreisel ex Sung et al.), Elaphocordyceps G. H. Sung & Spatafora and Ophiocordyceps Petch emend. G. H. Sung et al.(Ophiocordycipitaceae G. H. Sung et al.), and Metacordyceps G. H. Sung et al . and Tyrannicordyceps Kepler & Spatafora (Clavicipitaceae (Lindau) Earle ex Rogerson). Some species of Cordyceps sensu lato (e.g., C. militaris and C. pruinosa) are highly regarded as medicinal mushrooms in East Asia. Beauveria species, on the other hand, are widely used as potential biocontrol agents for insects in agriculture and forest due to their wide host range and global distribution. A recently described Beauveria species, Beauveria sungii S.A. Rehner & Humber 2011, is here shown as the anamorph of Cordyceps scarabaeicola Y. Kobayasi 1976 based on the teleomorphic material and phylogenetic analysis of the B.sungii isolate KACC 47482. In Cordyceps sensu stricto clade, Cordyceps Fr. 1818 is an older generic name than Beauveria Vuill. 1912 .Hence ,C. scarabaeicola is suggested to be adopted for B. sungii on the priority basis of both generic name and species epithet in view of the recent revision of Article 59 of the Melbourne Code (recently changed to the ‘International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plant’orICN). Based on one fungus = one name principle, all legitimate Beauveria species are also proposed to be transferred to Cordyceps. The consequences of abandonment of dual nomenclature for pleomorphic fungi are also briefly discussed with reference to Cordyceps and Beauveria.