{"id":33233,"date":"2026-08-21T07:55:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T11:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/?p=33233"},"modified":"2026-08-21T07:55:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T11:55:17","slug":"wildlife-blackburns-sphinx-moth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wildlife-blackburns-sphinx-moth\/33233\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildlife crews found 10 endangered caterpillars in L\u0101na\u02bbi City, then discovered the same giant Hawaiian moth on Moloka\u02bbi for the first time since the 1940s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wildlife workers searching for rare native insects in Hawaii did not expect to find an endangered moth<\/strong> surviving on islands where it was thought to have vanished. Recent field surveys proved otherwise.<\/p>\n

Observing this species in the wild has long been remarkably rare.<\/p>\n

Decades of habitat loss, non-native predators, and invasive competitors severely reduced its numbers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Because the species is listed as Endangered, any confirmed sighting is crucial.<\/p>\n

New evidence of its survival gives state wildlife officials invaluable insight<\/strong> to protect Hawaii\u2019s fragile ecosystems.<\/p>\n

Unexpected sightings on L\u0101na\u02bbi and Moloka\u02bbi<\/h2>\n

In May 2026, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (Department of Land and Natural Resources) employees identified ten Blackburn\u2019s Sphinx Moth caterpillars in L\u0101na\u02bbi City. That was unusual due to the rarity of observing the species, as well as its status as an endangered insect.<\/p>\n

On L\u0101na\u02bbi City alone, there have only been two prior record sightings<\/strong> of Blackburn\u2019s Sphinx Moth since 2009, including 2025 when a single caterpillar was reported.<\/p>\n

Collectively, these sightings suggest that there continues to be a viable population of Blackburn\u2019s Sphinx Moth on L\u0101na\u02bbi.<\/p>\n

However, the news didn\u2019t stop here. During May and June, the same crews discovered Blackburn\u2019s Sphinx Moth caterpillars<\/strong> in Halawa Valley and Kalae on the island of Moloka\u02bbi.<\/p>\n

Those were the first recorded instances of the species being found on the island of Moloka\u02bbi since the 1940s.<\/p>\n

Observing multiple sites for caterpillars suggests that the moth had likely remained present but undiscovered<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Blackburn’s Sphinx Moth: a species resisting extinction<\/h2>\n

Blackburn\u2019s Sphinx Moth used to exist throughout most of the main islands in Hawaii. Native insects in Hawaii continually experience pressures from habitat destruction, predation, and non-native competitors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the close of the 1970s, scientists concluded that the species was extinct<\/strong>. In 1984, the species was rediscovered on the eastern side of Maui.<\/p>\n

Afterward, additional populations were located on Kaho\u02bbolawe and the Big Island.<\/p>\n

Other islands had seemingly eradicated the moth entirely. Therefore, these recent finds made them noteworthy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Officials with Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources<\/a> referred to the discoveries as surprising yet exciting.<\/p>\n

They demonstrated that endangered insect populations can remain intact for<\/strong> long periods of time without documented confirmations.<\/p>\n

The newly recorded sightings also updated researchers’ knowledge of where the moth currently exists, providing state wildlife officials with insight to inform future monitoring and recovery efforts.<\/p>\n

This ultimately led to an inquiry<\/strong> as to what this elusive insect was like.<\/p>\n

Hawaii\u2019s giant, fast-moving native pollinator<\/h2>\n

The moth is commonly referred to as Blackburn\u2019s Sphinx Moth. It is regarded as one of Hawaii\u2019s larger native insects.<\/p>\n

Adult moths possess a wingspan nearing five inches<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Many describe flying patterns similar to that of hummingbirds. The moth has the ability to hover while consuming nectar from flowers.<\/p>\n

The brown and gray coloration allows it to easily blend into its surroundings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Due to its size and camouflage capabilities, spotting this moth is typically uncommon.<\/p>\n

Similar characteristics apply to its larvae<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Each caterpillar features a horn projecting from its posterior area. The horn is characteristic of many sphinx moth species.<\/p>\n

Sphinx moth caterpillars consume only specific host plant material<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Adult moths are able to obtain nutrition by consuming nectar from flowers as they travel between various food sources, helping to pollinate native plants along the way<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A new direction for island conservation<\/h3>\n

Prior to its discovery on East Maui in 1984, Blackburn\u2019s Sphinx Moth was believed to exist across all<\/strong> major Hawaiian Islands.<\/p>\n

Recent discoveries indicate that it continues to inhabit areas where officials believed it had completely disappeared.<\/p>\n

Confirming that these populations persist on L\u0101na\u02bbi and Moloka\u02bbi changes the outlook for island conservation. It gives wildlife crews concrete target zones to <\/span>focus host-plant restoration and habitat protection<\/a> moving forward.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wildlife workers searching for rare native insects in Hawaii did not expect to find an endangered moth surviving on islands where it was thought to have vanished. Recent field surveys proved otherwise. Observing this species in the wild has long been remarkably rare. Decades of habitat loss, non-native predators, and invasive competitors severely reduced its … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":33341,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"wildlife,discovery,Hawaii","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Wildlife crews found 10 endangered caterpillars in L\u0101na\u02bbi City, then discovered the giant moth on Moloka\u02bbi for the first time since the 1940s in decades.","footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}