Conservation Status and Research on the Fabulous Green Sphinx of Kaua'i, Tinostoma smaragditis (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae), Including Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the Diverse Mesic Forests of Kaua'i, Hawai'i

摘要

In 1895, a moth was captured in a mountain home in Makaweli,Kaua'i, that would captivate and elude entomologists for the next century. Tinostomasmaragditis (Meyrick), aptly nicknamed the "Fabulous Green Sphinxof Kaua'i" is a stunningly beautiful moth with green wings and thorax, palebrown hind wings, and orange antennae. Eighteen individuals are known tohave been collected on Kaua'i. However, despite extensive searches in areasaround Koke'e, all the specimens discovered until the 1990s were incidentalcatches, and the natural habitat and host plant of the moth remained unknown.This study describes the results of extensive searches of the diverse mesic forestswith the aim of establishing range, habitat, and host-plant associations of theFabulous Green Sphinx. In February 1998 a male T smaragditis was attractedto a mercury vapor light set up in the diverse mesic forest. Subsequently, oneother specimen was collected in a similar habitat type on another part of theisland. However, the host plant of the moth remains unknown. In this paperwe provide a history of collections, a summary of known biology, and a guideto potential host plants, including checklists of vascular plants found in the diversemesic forests of two locations where T smaragditis was found, Kalalauand Mahanaloa Valleys on Kaua'i.