NEW SPECIES OF BEE DISCOVERED ON MOLOKA‘I

HONOLULU – A previously unknown species of bee has been identified in a conservation area on the southern slopes of Moloka‘i. The discovery was made in May of last year by DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife Survey Entomologist Dr. Karl Magnacca, during a survey with the Moloka‘i Plant Extinction Prevention Program (MoPEPP) team.

The newly identified bee species, named Hylaeus paumako — paumākō meaning “mourning” or “grief” in Hawaiian — was distinguished by its all-black face, a unique characteristic not seen in any other known male bee species on Moloka‘i.

“While I didn’t expect to find many bees during my visit, the presence of the native shrub kolomona (Senna gaudichaudii) piqued my interest. It was there that I first noticed the distinctive markings on one of the bees. I immediately realized that I had found something new,” said Magnacca. “This is an exciting discovery, and I want to give credit to the MoPEPP team for showing me the area.”

The bees were discovered in Mākolelau, an ahupuaʻa of east Moloka‘i, which DLNR acquired in 2022 for conservation purposes. Despite significant degradation in some parts of the area from invasive species and erosion, there are pockets of native vegetation which have been fenced in. These protected areas now provide crucial habitats for native species such as Hylaeus paumako as well as many rare plants.

Hylaeus paumako is part of a diverse group of endemic bees that are native to Hawai‘i, with all 64 known species in the same genus descending from a single ancestor that arrived on the islands roughly one to 1.5 million years ago. Many have adapted to specific niches in drier and mesic (between wet and dry) forests. “These mesic forests are the most diverse in terms of native plants and insects in general, and also the most threatened,” said Magnacca. “Everyone’s attention is grabbed by the wet rain forest, but we have large portions of those forests protected and in relatively good shape, while dry and mesic forests are much more endangered. So it’s really important to protect these remnant patches, even when they’re small, because our native species can survive in them.”

New species of native insects are identified surprisingly frequently, Magnacca said he has collected some 500 new species in the past three years of field surveys. “I do expect there will be more discoveries among the native bees. There are quite a few that haven’t been seen in decades, and recently discovered ones that have only been seen once or twice, so they seem to be quite good at hiding from us. I have seen them persisting in surprisingly small or degraded areas, so that gives some hope that they may actually be doing better than it seems.”

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RESOURCES

(All images/video courtesy: DLNR)

Photographs – Hylaeus paumako (February 7, 2025) – https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3xua2oohscomflj3zo0k1/AIW8PcAZUcsmhF_xa7YB–w?rlkey=blkan4wf9g7ocxih749a6w9o6&st=hv30hnqs&dl=0

Media contact:

Patti Jette

Communications Specialist

Hawai‘i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

Phone: 808-587-0396

Email: [email protected]