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| Kamehameha butterfly | |
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Vanessa |
| Species: | V. tameamea |
| Binomial name | |
| Vanessa tameamea (Eschscholtz, 1821) | |
| Synonyms[1][3] | |
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TheKamehameha butterfly (Vanessa tameamea) is one of the twospecies ofbutterflyendemic toHawaii, the other isUdara blackburni.[4] TheHawaiian name ispulelehua. This is today a catch-all native term for all butterflies; its origin seems to bepulelo "to float" or "to undulate in the air" +lehua, "reddish", or "rainbow colored", probably due to the predominant color of theMetrosideros polymorpha flower: an animal that floats through the air, from onelehua to another. Alternatively, it is calledlepelepe-o-Hina – roughly, "Hina's fringewing" – which is today also used for the introducedmonarch butterfly.
The Kamehameha butterfly was named thestate insect of Hawaii in 2009, due to the work of a group of fifth-graders from Pearl Ridge Elementary.[5] These 5th graders (Robyn-Ashley Amano, Ryan Asuka, Kristi Kimura, Jennifer Loui, Toshiro Yanai and Jenna Yanke) proposed the butterfly as the state insect to various legislators as a project for Gifted and Talented.
Vanessa tameamea is a medium-sizedNymphalid, featuring dark colouration with reddish orange markings. Unusual in the genus is the presence ofsexual dimorphism, via a series of three small spots on the anterior forewing. These spots are typically white in females, and orange in males. Visually, this species appears intermediate between theladies andadmirals. The closest morphological relatives areVanessa indica andV. samani.[6]
Thecaterpillars feed on the leaves of plants in the familyUrticaceae,[7] especially those ofmāmaki (Pipturus albidus)[8] but alsoōpuhe (Urera spp.),ʻākōlea (Boehmeria grandis),olonā (Touchardia latifolia), andmaʻoloa (Neraudia spp.).[7] Adults eat the sap ofkoa (Acacia koa) trees.[9]
Vanessa tameamea typically occurs in the mid to upper canopy during flights, particularly in hotter periods of the day. It may descend to the lower canopy to bask in sun, or rarely to visit nectar sources such asRubus. Basking individuals perch on the upper surface of exposed, sunlit leaves of shrubs and trees. When dappled light or gaps in the canopy allow, partial basking may also occur during cryptic camouflage behavior, where adults rest on the bark of trees facing downwards. Short-term hibernation has been reported, taking place in tight furrows in bark, or on the underside ofAcacia koa limbs.[10] These behaviors are shared among other related species elsewhere in the world, such as thered admirals, and particularly theNew Zealand red admiral. Adult Kamehameha butterflies are seen throughout all months of the year, but generally peak in spring months.
The Kamehameha butterfly occurs on all four of the major Hawaiian Islands:Oʻahu,Kauaʻi,Maui, and theBig Island, as well as onLānaʻi. However, it is now absent from much of its former range due to decline of native forest habitat, necessary indigenous host plants, and widespread predation from non-native species. Conservation efforts such as the Hawai’i Invertebrate Program (HIP), and local projects operated by the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, continue to rear and attempt to maintain wild populations of this butterfly on O'ahu and the Big Island.[11] Today, most sightings occur in high elevation damp forest, such as that withinHawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Mokulēia Forest Reserve, andWaimea Canyon State Park.[12]
It is named after the royalHouse of Kamehameha; the last king of this lineage,Kamehameha V, died in 1872. The common name is taken from thespecific name,tameamea, an old-fashioned and partially wrongtranscription of "Kamehameha". The Hawaiian language has no strict distinction between thevoiceless alveolar plosive andvoiceless velar plosive; use varies from island to island, but today, "k" is used as the standard transliteration. Thevoiceless glottal transition "h" is distinct and should always be pronounced - for example, "aloha" is correct whereas "aloa" is a wrong pronunciation. Thus, while "Tamehameha" would be a legitimate transcription (though considered old-fashioned on most islands), "Tameamea" is not.
