First record of Clonostachys rosea as entomopathogenic fungus of Coleoptera in China

Clonostachys rosea is an ascomycetous fungal species commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions as soil saprotroph, plant decomposer, and endophyte. This fungus is also well-known as a mycoparasite, exhibiting strong biological control ability against numerous fungal plant pathogens, nematode and insect parasite. In this study, we isolated for the first time C. rosea as entomopathogen of the Coleoptera species Ophrida xanthospilota (Chrysomelidae) in China. This finding increases our knowledge of the ecology and distribution of C. rosea.