It is one of the two butterfly species of the island, with the other one being the Hawaiian Blue Butterfly. Apr 21, 2016 - The Kamehameha butterfly, scientifically known as Vanessa tameameae, is Hawaii’s state insect endemic to the islands. ), and ʻākōlea ( Boehmeria grandis ). "The pulelehua is the King Kamehameha butterfly, one of two species of butterfly indigenous to the Hawaiian islands. The light-green caterpillars feed only on native species in the nettle family, primarily māmaki. Named... Nananana Makakiʻi (Happy Face Spider). The Kamehameha Butterfly is one of only two native butterfly species in Hawai‘i.
Fewer still know that its population has been in steady decline for a century. However, the Kamehameha butterfly is endemic to Hawaii, and evolved here after a butterfly somehow dispersed across the ocean and colonized the islands.
Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. But we can help them! A true native butterfly, The Kamehameha Butterfly, is the official Hawaii state butterfly and state insect. Invasive Caterpillar Threatens Rare Native Plants on Maui ... of Forestry and Wildlife says this species is very different from the Kamehameha butterfly caterpillar. Kamehameha butterfly caterpillars are found only on the Hawaiian species of the nettle family (Urticaceae), located in shady areas or gulches with native vegetation and moderate to heavy rainfall. As humans transformed the environment, however, the native nettle species used by the butterfly as hosts became less common, and nonnative predators such as ants, wasps, and birds spread across the landscape. Kamehameha Butterflies (Vanessa tameamea) are one of only two butterfly species endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Host Plant. Other host plants for Kamehameha caterpillars are also natives in the plant family Urticaceae (nettle relatives), including olonā (Touchardia latifolia) , ōpuhe ( Urera spp. Feed the hungry butterflies. Instead of netting the jeweled fliers, the goal is to capture data about one special species: Vanessa tameamea, the Kamehameha butterfly. The Kamehameha is one among the two butterfly species indigenous to the Hawaii region. Actually, 90% of insect species can eat only the plants that are native to their own regions. Its alternate name is Pulelehua which in Hawaiian language means “butterfly”. The Kamehameha Butterfly and the Pulelehua Project by William Haines, UH-CTAHR, Dept.
Adults are orange with brown, black, and white markings. Hawaii designated pulelehua, also known as the kamehameha butterfly (Vanessa tameamea) as the official state insect in 2009. The Kamehameha butterfly’s ancestors had suitable hosts: Hawaiian mamaki and other close relatives in the nettle family.
Known as “Lepelepe O Hina” in Hawaiian, the Kamehameha butterfly is the official insect of the State of Hawaiʻi. This is both the culmination of and the beginning of an unusual path towards species conservation.