Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR)

Nysius wekiuicola
(a type of insect)
wekiu bug

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Species description or overview Taxonomy & nomenclature Federal endangered/threatened status Legislation/regulation
Distribution In the news Full-text articles Other resources

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Species description or overview

Wekiu bug Wikipedia entry
Description, conservation measures, taxonomy, and references for wekiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola) are from Wikipedia.

A remarkable new micropterous Nysius species from the aeolian zone of Mauna Kea, Hawaii Island (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
The discovery of the wekiu bug, a new species of predator-scavenger, Nysius wekiuicola, is reported (International Journal of Entomology, 1983).

Wekiu bugs-life on top of a volcano
The wekiu bug's discovery and habitat are featured in the Hawaii Volcano Observatory's Volcano Watch (5/20/1999).

Taxonomy & nomenclature

Nysius wekiuicola information from ITIS
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System ITIS provides authoritative taxonomic information on Nysius wekiuicola, as well as other plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

Federal endangered/threatened status

Life in Mauna Kea's alpine desert View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
Mauna Kea's wekiu bug Nysius wekiuicola is featured in the article from the Endangered Species Bulletin (page 22, 2002).

Band-rumped storm-petrel (Oceanodroma castro) priority listing View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
Reviews of plant and animal species that are candidates or proposed for listing as endangered or threatened, including the band-rumped storm-petrel (Oceanodroma castro), are in the Federal Register (Fish and Wildlife Service, 11/2001).

Wekiu bug federal priority listing View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
Information on the wekiu bug on Mauna Kea, and reviews of other plant and animal species that are candidates or proposed for listing as endangered or threatened, are in the Federal Register (Fish and Wildlife Service, 5/2004).

Legislation/regulation

Wekiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola) USFWS species profile
Wekiu bug information and documents related to its candidate status as an endangered species are available on this US Fish and Wildlife site.

Distribution

Range, habitat, and ecology of the wekiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola), a rare insect species unique to Mauna Kea, Hawaii Island: final report: FINAL REPORT View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
The Hawaii Biological Survey of the Bishop Museum was contracted by the Office of Mauna Kea Management (OMKM) to assess the distribution and habitat use of the wëkiu bug ( Nysius wekiuicola Ashlock, and Gagné), endemic to Mauna Kea. The three major objectives of this study were to 1) survey for the presence or absence of wekiu bugs at the summits of various puus (cinder cones) located in the alpine zone of Mauna Kea, 2) determine the elevational distribution of wekiu bugs on Mauna Kea, and 3) assess whether different pitfall trapping methods used in earlier Bishop Museum surveys provide comparable data in regard to wekiu bug capture rates.

In the news

Group wants Big Isle bug put on endangered list
"An environmental group is petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to put Mauna Kea's wekiu bug on its endangered species list." (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 24 May 2003)

Tiny bug may affect astronomy plans
An environmental group filed a petition to place the Mauna Kea wekiu bug (Nysius wekiucola) on the federal endangered species list. (The Honolulu Advertiser, 23 May 2003)

Wekiu bugs-life on top of a volcano
The wekiu bug's discovery and habitat are featured in the Hawaii Volcano Observatory's Volcano Watch (5/20/1999).

Full-text articles

Range, habitat, and ecology of the wekiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola), a rare insect species unique to Mauna Kea, Hawaii Island: final report: FINAL REPORT View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
The Hawaii Biological Survey of the Bishop Museum was contracted by the Office of Mauna Kea Management (OMKM) to assess the distribution and habitat use of the wëkiu bug ( Nysius wekiuicola Ashlock, and Gagné), endemic to Mauna Kea. The three major objectives of this study were to 1) survey for the presence or absence of wekiu bugs at the summits of various puus (cinder cones) located in the alpine zone of Mauna Kea, 2) determine the elevational distribution of wekiu bugs on Mauna Kea, and 3) assess whether different pitfall trapping methods used in earlier Bishop Museum surveys provide comparable data in regard to wekiu bug capture rates.

Other resources

Life history and population genetics of the wekiu bug
Research on the molecular phylogeny of the endemic Hawaiian radiation of Nysius seed bugs, including the unique and anomalous wekiu bug found on Mauna Kea, is described.

KAHEA: wekiu bug information
Information about the wekiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola) is presented by KAHEA (The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance).

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