Insects of Haleakalā National Park: A Biodiversity Checklist

Haleakalā National Park on Maui, Hawai'i, hosts a remarkable array of native and endemic insects across diverse elevations—from coastal shrublands to the subalpine crater district at 10,000 feet. Major groups include:

• Beetles (Coleoptera) – Ground beetles, rove beetles, longhorn beetles; many endemic flightless species
• Flies (Diptera) – Fruit flies (including famous Drosophila radiations), leafminers, parasitic flies
• True Bugs (Hemiptera) – Aphids, scale insects, planthoppers
• Bees, Wasps, Ants (Hymenoptera) – Native Hylaeus yellow-faced bees (endemic, some endangered), parasitic wasps
• Butterflies & Moths (Lepidoptera) – Kamehameha butterfly (state insect), Scotorythra moths, endemic Eudonia crambids
• Lacewings & Antlions (Neuroptera)
• Dragonflies & Damselflies (Odonata) – Including the giant Hawaiian darner
• Crickets, Grasshoppers, Katydids (Orthoptera) – Many flightless, cave-adapted species
• Stoneflies (Plecoptera) – In high-elevation streams
• Thrips (Thysanoptera)

Hawai'i's extreme isolation drove spectacular adaptive radiations—single colonizing ancestors diversifying into hundreds of species. Unfortunately, invasive ants, wasps, and habitat loss threaten many endemics. The park's insect fauna is a living laboratory of evolution and a conservation priority.