Hirsutella liboensis, a new entomopathogenic species affecting Cossidae (Lepidoptera) in China

Hirsutella liboensis was isolated from the larva of Cossidae (Lepidoptera) in Libo Natural Reserves, Guizhou Province. The fungus produces fasciculate synnemata and mono- and polyphialidic conidiogenous cells with necks twisted in two or three helical turns. Conidia are one-celled or (rarely) one-septate, fusiform or like orange segments that are enveloped in a mucous sheath. Morphological characters and phylogenetic analyses of ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences support this fungus as a new species.