Reading time: 2 minutes Austin holds a caterpillar of Spheterista reynorciana on the leaf of an Oe makai tree, a rare native tree that this species of moth needs to survive. (Photo credit: Zach Pezzillo)
For their work on conserving Hawai’i’s native moths, graduate students from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) were awarded “Best Student Presentation” at the Lepidoptera Society’s annual meeting in January 2016. did. Cornell University in July. (Lepidopterists study butterflies and moths.)
Kyle Austin’s presentation, in collaboration with CTAHR Professor Daniel Rubinoff and Junior Scientists Kamiel Dorenwield and Mike San Jose, revealed that many species of moths native to Hawai’i are extinct and others are dying. I recorded that it was being rediscovered. Austin later returned to Japan and gave a similar lecture at the Hawaii Conservation Conference.
Austin at a meeting of the Lepidoptera Society.
“We are grateful to have won and are happy to draw worldwide attention to Hawaii’s insect conservation efforts,” said Austin, of CTAHR’s Department of Plant and Environmental Conservation Sciences.
Austin’s research focused on assessing the pattern and timing of Hawaiian moth extinctions. He examined historical and modern collection records, including those at the California State University Entomology Museum and Bishop Museum, to assess when hundreds of species were last seen and to assess extinction rates for various moth groups. We achieved this by estimating .
“Now we can figure out which species and groups are the most vulnerable and start paying attention to their conservation,” Rubinov said. “Hawaii’s insects are to a significant extent excluded from conservation plans, and a lack of data is sometimes used as an excuse for this exclusion. Kyle’s research aims to make insect conservation in Hawaii part of the conversation. By all accounts, he gave a great presentation and wowed the judges.”
The Lepidoptera Society is the preeminent association for amateurs and scientists working on all aspects of butterflies and moths, from the description of new species, to conservation and ecology, to genomics and gene function.
