An entomologist discovered a previously unknown species of bee on Molokaʻi, marking the first new bee species discovered on the island in over 125 years.
Dr. Karl Magnacca, with the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, noticed the bee’s striking all-black face, a unique characteristic not seen in any other known male bee species on Molokaʻi, when he was surveying Mākolelau with the Molokaʻi Plant Extinction Prevention Program (MoPEPP) team in May 2024.
“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,” said Magnacca in a news release. “I immediately realized that I had found something new.”
The bee species, named Hylaeus paumako — paumākō means “mourning” or “grief” in Hawaiian — is part of a diverse group of endemic bees that are native to Hawaii, with all 64 known species in the same genus descending from a single ancestor that arrived on the islands about 1 million years ago. Many of these bees have adapted to specific niches in drier and mesic (between wet and dry) forests.
“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,” said Magnacca. “So it’s really important to protect these remnant patches, even when they’re small, because our native species can survive in them.”
Mākolelau is an ahupuaʻa of east Molokaʻi, which DLNR acquired in 2022 for conservation. Some parts of the area are significantly degraded because of invasive species and erosion, but there are pockets of native mesic forest which have been fenced in to protect them from ungulates.
“This is an exciting discovery, and I want to give credit to the MoPEPP team for showing me the area,” said Magnacca.
Magnacca has collected about 500 new species of native insects in the past three years during field surveys.
“I do expect there will be more discoveries among the native bees,” said Magnacca. “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.”
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.
