Hawaii is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles from the U.S. mainland. It is the only state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state in the tropics. Hawaii is also one of four U.S. states that were once independent nations along with Vermont, Texas and California.
Located about 2300 miles (3680 km) from the nearest continental shore, the Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated group of islands on the planet. The plant and animal life of the Hawaiian archipelago is the result of early, very infrequent colonizations of arriving species and the slow evolution of those species—in isolation from the rest of the world's flora and fauna—over a period of at least 5 million years. As a consequence, Hawai'i is home to a large number of endemic species. The radiation of species described by Charles Darwin in the Galapagos Islands which was critical to the formulation of his theory of evolution is far exceeded in the more isolated Hawaiian Islands.
Oecophoridae is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this.
The Pyralidae, commonly called pyralid moths, snout moths or grass moths, are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many classifications, the grass moths (Crambidae) are included in the Pyralidae as a subfamily, making the combined group one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera. The latest review by Eugene G. Munroe and Maria Alma Solis retain the Crambidae as a full family of Pyraloidea.
Laysan, located 808 nautical miles northwest of Honolulu at 25°42′14″N171°44′04″W, is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It comprises one land mass of 1,016 acres (4.11 km2), about 1 by 1+1⁄2 miles in size. It is an atoll of sorts, although the land completely surrounds a shallow central lake some 8 feet (2.4 m) above sea level that has a salinity approximately three times greater than the ocean. Laysan's Hawaiian name, Kauō, means egg.
Schreckensteinioidea is a superfamily in the insect order Lepidoptera containing a single family, Schreckensteiniidae, or "bristle-legged moths", because of the stout spines on the hindlegs. The superfamily and family were both described by Thomas Bainbrigge Fletcher in 1929. The relationships of this family within the group apoditrysia are currently uncertain. One of the species, the blackberry skeletoniser, is widespread and common across Europe and has been introduced as a biological control to Hawaii, whilst three species of Corsocasis occur in South East Asia.
The erebid moth Ascalapha odorata, commonly known as the black witch, is a large bat-shaped, dark-colored nocturnal moth, normally ranging from the southern United States to Brazil. Ascalapha odorata is also migratory into Canada and most states of United States. It is the largest noctuoid in the continental United States. In the folklore of many Central American cultures, it is associated with death or misfortune.
Daphnis nerii, the oleander hawk-moth or army green moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The Momphidae, or mompha moths, is a family of moths with some 115 described species. It was described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1857. These moths tend to be rather small with a wingspan of up to 21 mm. The wings are held folded over the body at rest. The larvae are concealed feeders, either as leaf miners or within seeds or stems.
The Hawaiian hoary bat, also known as ʻōpeʻapeʻa, is a species of bat endemic to the islands of Hawaiʻi. Whereas the mainland hoary bat is found throughout North America, the Hawaiian hoary bat is distributed only among the major volcanic islands of Hawaiʻi, making it the only extant and native terrestrial mammal in the state; although some studies also posit that the mainland hoary bat lives in sympatry on the Hawaiian Islands alongside the Hawaiian hoary bat, this has been disputed. The Hawaiian hoary bat was officially named the state land mammal of Hawaiʻi in 2015. It is a federally listed endangered taxon of the United States.
Omiodes is a moth genus in the family Crambidae. Several species are endemic to Hawaii.
Scotorythra is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae erected by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1883. All species of this genus are endemic to Hawaii.
Manduca blackburni, the Hawaiian tomato hornworm, Hawaiian tobacco hornworm or Blackburn's sphinx moth, is a moth in the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1880. It is endemic to Hawaii. Previously known from all of the main islands, this rare moth is now limited to Maui, the Big Island, and Kahoʻolawe. It is found in coastal mesic and dry forests at elevations from sea level to 5,000 ft (1,500 m).
Thyrocopa is a genus of moths in the family Xyloryctidae endemic to Hawaii. The taxon has approximately forty species, including some flightless species.
Spodoptera mauritia, the lawn armyworm or paddy swarming caterpillar, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1833. Able to eat many types of food, it is a major pest throughout the world.
Praeacedes is a monotypic moth genus in the family Tineidae first described by Hans Georg Amsel in 1954. Its only species, Praeacedes atomosella, was first described by Francis Walker in 1863. It has a wide range and has been recorded from Europe, Australia, Hawaii, India, Malaysia, Solomon Islands, Easter Island, Mauritius, Madagascar, Réunion, South America and North America. The species has commonly been misidentified in various parts of the world.
Hellula undalis, the cabbage webworm or Old World webworm, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It is a widespread species which is found from Europe across Asia to the Pacific. It was first described from Italy.
Pyralis manihotalis is a moth of the family Pyralidae described by Achille Guenée in 1854.
Hypsopygia mauritialis is a moth of the family Pyralidae described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1833. It is a widespread species, known from Africa, India, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and Hawaii.
