Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has discovered a new species of insect-killing fungus in Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, the first record of its kind in the world.

The finding was published in the international taxonomy journal Phytotaxa on June 24, 2026.

The fungus, named Metarhizium tawauensis sp. nov., was collected in January 2023 at the Botanical Garden, Tawau Hills Park.

It was found on an adult hemipteran insect buried in soil near the orchid Plocoglottis plicata.

The species is identified by its dark brown to blackish stromata, immersed perithecia, multiseptate ascospores and smooth-walled globose conidia.

The species was confirmed through morphological examination, scanning electron microscopy and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses.

The study was led by Muhammad Shahbaz, a PhD researcher at the Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ITBC), under the supervision of Associate Professor Dr. Jaya Seelan Sathiya Seelan, with contributions from Sabah Parks and University College Sabah Foundation.

Jaya Seelan said the discovery shows that Sabah's forests hold far more species than science has yet documented.

“The genus Metarhizium now has 92 accepted species worldwide.

Finding a new one here in Sabah tells us that much of Borneo's biological diversity is still waiting to be named,” he said.

Fungi in the genus Metarhizium are known for infecting and killing insects, which several species are already used in agriculture as natural alternatives to chemical pesticides.

The discovery of M. tawauensis opens the door to further research on its potential applications in pest management.

Meanwhile, ITBC Director , Associate Professor Dr. Fiffy Hanisdah Saikim said the finding is a reminder of how much Sabah's rainforests still have to offer.

“Every new species described is a piece of our natural heritage.

ITBC has spent 30 years documenting what lives in these forests, and discoveries like this show the work is far from over,” she said.

Established in 1996, ITBC marks its 30th anniversary this year. The institute has contributed to numerous species discoveries across Sabah and maintains research partnerships in Asia, Europe, Australia and the Americas.

The research was funded by the UMSGreat postgraduate grant (GUG0659-2/2023) and the Sabah Forestry Department under the 12th Malaysia Plan.

The holotype specimen is deposited at the BORNEENSIS Herbarium, UMS.