Contemporary Hawaiian Insect Fauna of a Lowland Agricultural Area on Kaua'i: Implications for Local and Island-wide Fruit Fly Eradication Programs

Abstract

We sampled the insect fauna of a 900-ha, lowland agricultural area on the northeast shore of Kaua'i to identify native and beneficial species that could be potentially impacted by USDA fruit fly control measures. Of the 283 species currently identified, only 24 species (<10%) are endemic to Hawai'i, and most of these are common species occurring on all the major islands. Stream and riparian systems, more than any other habitat, appear to still harbor the greatest number of endemic species. Lack of adequate taxonomic and distributional information for some species presents a major obstacle in the development of safe eradication technologies in lowland agricultural areas. Twenty-five species represent biological control agents purposefully introduced to suppress noxious pests, and numerous other inadvertent immigrants functioning as predators, pollinators, and in nutrient recycling should also be considered in any impact assessment. This survey suggests that the expansion of control measures to other agricultural areas and different habitats should consider the likely presence and potential impact on endemic species.