An assessment of the arthropod fauna and aeolian ecosystem near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Author:

Howarth, Francis G., Stone, Fred D.

Title:

An assessment of the arthropod fauna and aeolian ecosystem near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Year:

1982

Pages:

18 p.

Subject:

Wekiu bug Nysius wekiuicola Mauna Kea Science Reserve

Summary:

The existence of a resident community of native Hawaiian animals living near the summit of Mauna Kea and feeding on material carried up the mountain by the wind (i.e., aeolian ecosystem) was only recently discovered. These resident animals were admirably adapted to cope with the stressful environment, and some species may be restricted to the summit area and not found elsewhere in the world. This aeolian ecosystem was a significant, but little known, biological resource which deserves further study. Mull and Mull (1980) coined the common name, Wekiu bug, for the remarkable, highly evolved, long-legged, black, nearly wingless true bug in the genus Nysius. This species, which is known to live only on the summit region of Mauna Kea, was new to science and was described by Ashlock and Gagne in 1983. This assessment focused on gathering information on the ecological requirements of the Wekiu bug pursuant to developing management recommendations, in addition to conducting a general biological survey and environmental assessment of the summit of Mauna Kea. This assessment of the aeolian resources within the summit area provided baseline data on biology and distribution of several important aeolian species that can be used to assess the impacts of future changes in land use within the project area. Since the aeolian ecosystem on Mauna Kea was only recently discovered, archival data on species inventory and distribution did not exist.

Date:

Nov. 2, 1982

Collection:

Monographs