{"id":229961,"date":"2026-02-25T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T18:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=229961"},"modified":"2026-02-24T14:06:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T00:06:50","slug":"10-new-species-hawaiian-moths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/25\/10-new-species-hawaiian-moths\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> scientists discover 10 new species of Hawaiian moths"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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The Iliahia pahulu is considered critically endangered and is known only from a small grove of approximately 30 sandalwood trees on the island of Lānaʻi.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa<\/span> researchers identified 10 new species and seven new groups (genera) of Hawaiian leaf-roller moths. While new species are frequently discovered, the description of a new genus of insects is a much rarer event; seven groups at once is almost unheard of. Discovered by College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience<\/a> (CTAHR<\/abbr>) graduate student Kyhl Austin and Professor Daniel Rubinoff, this research highlights how much Native Hawaiian biodiversity remains a mystery.<\/p>\n

Some species are brilliantly colored—almost iridescent—while another species from Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island is potentially the largest member of its family in the world.<\/p>\n

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This group of Hawaiian moths is named for its host plant, the endangered ʻiliahi<\/span> (sandalwood).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> is a world-renowned laboratory for evolution, but these moths have been hiding their true history in plain sight,” said lead author Austin. “By identifying these seven new genera, we are showing that these insects crossed thousands of miles of open ocean to reach Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> far more frequently than we ever imagined.”<\/p>\n

Despite their small size, leaf-roller moths have proven to be one of the most effective long-distance travelers among any native Hawaiian animals. Evidence suggests they arrived in the islands through as many as 20 independent natural colonization events over several million years, an unprecedented number for any animal group in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Honoring Hawaiian ecology, culture<\/h2>\n

This work also reorganizes species that had been incorrectly grouped together, creating a roadmap for future conservation and research.<\/p>\n

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A newly discovered Hawaiian moth with brilliantly colored wings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The researchers have proposed several new names that honor Hawaiian ecology and culture:<\/p>\n