State briefs for June 9

Caterpillar and moth native to Southeast Asia found on Maui

WAILUKU, Maui (AP) — A caterpillar and moth native to Southeast Asia have been discovered eating indigenous plants on Maui that provide important habitat for native species and protect the island’s watershed, Hawaii officials said. It’s the first documented sighting of the caterpillar in the U.S.

A biologist looking for native snails in October noticed signs of unfamiliar caterpillars feeding on mamaki leaves in Olowalu. The caterpillar and moth turned out to be the Ramie moth.

Reports of the bug then filtered in from across the island from Waiehu to Makawao, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said.

The Ramie moth has been laying its eggs on several plants in the nettles family on Maui, such as mamaki and akolea. These plants are food sources for the Kamehameha caterpillar and are valued by Native Hawaiians for their fiber and medicinal qualities.

“Mamaki and other plants in that family provide habitat for animals and other plants. They are an important species in wet understories, they protect watersheds,” said Keahi Bustamente, a Maui-based Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit invertebrate biologist working with the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

Many of the 14 species in the mamaki family are endemic to Hawaii and are found only there; some species are critically endangered, he said.

Scientists don’t know how the Ramie moth arrived on Maui. Bustamante said it’s likely humans introduced it. The caterpillars may have been transported as eggs on leaves of an imported plant, he said.

Honolulu
delivers revised rail recovery plan to officials

HONOLULU (AP) — The head of Honolulu’s planned rail line has submitted a revised recovery plan for the $9.2 billion project.

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation CEO Andrew Robbins hand-delivered the plan to federal officials in San Francisco on Friday.

The Federal Transit Administration has been withholding about $744 million in promised funding until it approves an updated recovery plan.

The agency demanded that the city submit a recovery plan when the project’s price tag jumped from $5.3 billion.

The City Council approved the plan by an 8-1 vote on Wednesday. Councilwoman Heidi Tsuneyoshi was the lone “no” vote.
Source: Hawaii Tribune Herald