Abutilon sandwicense, Halona management area, Lualualei Valley

A couple of weeks ago I was back up in Lualualei Valley checking on another species of Abutilon, Abutilon sandwicense.  These plants were higher up in the mountains in a portion of the valley we refer to as the Halona Management Area.  I don’t have much experience with Abutilon, but from the plants we have in Lualualei, A. sandwicense seems to grow much differently from A. menziesii  – it grows tall and lanky, and it is not very bushy like menziesii.  There were no flowers, but they seemed to be doing OK.

While I was there, I did some poking around on a  nearby Sapindus tree that usually hides some nice little treasures.  On the leaves I found Hyposmocoma, and, to my surprise, one appeared to have a parasitoid wasp lurking around its case.  This same small tree also had some interesting Tetragnatha spiders, some cool Salticids (ant mimics?), and some kind of beetle larvae (I think?).

I had seen these Salticids on this same tree back in 2010, and at the time I inquiredabout them to the friendly entomologists at the Bishop Museum.  I’m not sure he would want me quoting him, but in Frank Howarth’s words, “It’s a male Siler sp. [Salticidae] and apparently still undetermined.  I’ve seen a specimen from Makua Valley.  It was recorded from Hawaii by J. Proszynski 2002. (Remarks on Salticidae (Aranei) from Hawaii, with description of Havaika – gen. nov. Arthropoda Selecta ,vol. 10 (3): 225-241, f 81.) from a damaged specimen collected in 1974 by Wayne Gagne in the Waianae Mts.”

The Entomology staff at the Bishop Museum is awesome – Mahalo to Frank and Neal.