| Summary: | Two species of entomogenous fungi were discovered infecting the invasive paper wasp <i>Polistes chinensis</i> during an ecological study on Farewell Spit, New Zealand. We sequenced two nuclear ribosomal RDNA genes, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the small ribosomal subunit 18S, and one protein-coding gene, the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (<i>ef1 α</i>). Combining sequence information with morphological examination, we identified these species as <i>Beauveria malawiensis</i> and <i>Ophiocordyceps humbertii</i>. We estimated that these fungi produce infection in approximately 3.3% of colonies in our study population. In bioassays, we successfully infected <i>P. chinensis</i> individuals from healthy colonies with <i>B. malawiensis</i>, with significant effects on adult mortality. This is the first record of both <i>B. malawiensis</i> and <i>O. humbertii</i> from Polistine hosts in New Zealand, and the first investigation into disease causality by these pathogens in <i>P. chinensis</i>. Our findings may contribute to the future development of biological control agents for paper wasps in New Zealand and elsewhere around the world.
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