(BIVN) – A species of endangered Hawaiian damselfly was rediscovered on Hawaiʻi island last year, after a century-long disappearance from the wild.
The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources recently announced the unexpected finding of a pinapinao, or Hawaiian damselfly (Megalagrion nesiotes), in the Waiākea Forest Reserve.
A DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife employee, Brendan Wang, captured and photographed the male Hawaiian damselfly in October 2025, while taking part in a routine training in the Waiākea Forest Reserve.
Wang’s finding was the first confirmed sighting of a pinapinao on Hawai‘i island since 1923.
“I would have never guessed that we would find a critically endangered species in a eucalyptus plantation, a habitat previously thought unsuitable for the species,” said Wang. “Since there are native plants in the understory, these damselflies have been able to persist. We encourage everyone to learn about native invertebrates and to report sightings of rare species to aid in conservation management.”
The DLNR also reported findings of the endangered Blackburn’s sphinx moth (Manduca blackburni) on Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi.
The discoveries “bring hope for the continued existence and recovery of these endangered species”, the DLNR says.
“Hawaiʻi’s native insect populations are largely declining because of predation, competition with non-native species and habitat loss,” said Janis Matsunaga, DOFAW entomologist. “Populations of these insects often quietly blink out, island-by-island, until they become extinct. Rediscovery of these species is unexpected and encouraging.”
The DLNR says new sightings of native invertebrates can be reported to a DOFAW office.
