The proposed conservation based research project aims to complete arthropod surveys in eight under surveyed areas, and provide conservation assessments for rare but yet unlisted target species which…

This $100,000 cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Candidate Species Conservation program will support arthropod surveys and conservation assessments in eight under-surveyed areas in Hawaii through September 2025. The State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources will complete arthropod surveys across eight field sites on Oahu and Kauai utilizing various collection methods. In addition to expanding taxonomic knowledge, data collected will be integrated into management planning and conservation actions for rare but unlisted target species. If captive propagation opportunities are identified, some rare species may be brought into the Department of Land and Natural Resources insectary. Botanical data on arthropod-plant relationships will also be documented to support climate change planning efforts through increased geospatial data and life history information.

The proposed conservation based research project aims to complete arthropod surveys in eight under surveyed areas, and provide conservation assessments for rare but yet unlisted target species which are encountered the dofaw survey entomologist will complete arthropod surveys in eight areas of conservation interest on oahu and kauai potential survey areas will include four field sites on oahu kului PIA, hauula kaipapau, waianae KAI, kaluaa and four on kauai honopu, kuia, koaie canyon, MT haupu field work will be conducted in one week trips, with the possibility of supplemental visits specimens will be collected by as wide a variety of methods as possible in order to sample a broad range of taxa methods may include sweeping vegetation, beating branches, pan traps, pitfall traps, baited pitfalls, lindgren funnel traps, yellow sticky cards, drosophila baiting, night searching, light trapping, litter extraction, light trapping and malaise trapping depending upon the area, surveys will target groups known to include rare species including but not limited to hylaeus, drosophila, megalagrion, rhyncogonus, mecyclothorax, blackburnia, plagithmysus, ectemnius, odynerus, nesodyne, distoleon, theridion, tetragnatha, argyrodes, and protocols will be implemented to avoid lethal take of any listed species data will be integrated into management planning and on the ground actions in some cases, rare species may be brought in to the dofaw insectary to assess opportunities for captive propagation data on arthropod plant E G , host plant and pollinator relationships will be documented these data will also expand pifwo S climate change planning capacity by increasing availability of GIS data, and providing important life history information relating to target arthropod species