The discovery was led by Assoc Prof Dr Jaya Seelan Sathiya Seelan of UMS ITBP, with two postgraduate students and a citizen scientist, plus collaborators from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia and a student from UTHM.

UMS Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor said the finding showcases local scientists’ capacity to conduct high-impact international research and aligns with UMS’s Brain of Borneo vision to explore Sabah’s biodiversity.

The fungal specimens have been deposited at the BORNEENSIS ITBP UMS storage centre for future reference.

The project was supported by the UMS Great grant and involved cooperation with the Sabah Forestry Department and Yayasan Sabah under the 12th Malaysia Plan project.

ITBP director Assoc Prof Dr Fiffy Hanisdah Saikim framed the achievement as evidence of developing young researchers and Sabah’s rainforest biodiversity potential.

In addition to Pleurocordyceps cornusynnemata, researchers documented Pleurocordyceps aurantiaca and Pleurocordyceps nipponica as new records for Malaysia.

Pleurocordyceps cornusynnemata is the first globally of its kind and was published in Phytotaxa, highlighting its distinctive horn-like morphology compared with 26 previously recorded Pleurocordyceps species from the region.

A new horn-shaped fungus species, Pleurocordyceps cornusynnemata, has been discovered in the Danum Valley Conservation Area in Lahad Datu, Malaysia, by a team from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).