Division of Forestry and Wildlife: Native Ecosystems Protection & Management

• Federally listed as Endangered
• State listed as Endangered
• State recognized as Endemic (found nowhere else but Hawaiʻi)

Originally distributed across all the main Hawaiian Islands, the species was believed to be extinct in the late 1970s. In 1984, the species was rediscovered on East Maui. Additional populations have been found on Kaho‘olawe and the island of Hawai‘i.

Historical records indicate that Blackburn’s sphinx moth mostly occurred in coastal, lowland, and dry forests. Human modification of Hawaiian landscapes has greatly reduced these communities; for example, more than 90 percent of Hawaii’s dry forests have been destroyed. Depending on the location and elevation, the composition of the plant species in moth habitat varies considerably. However, some common native plants found in areas where the species occurs include lama (Diospyros sandwiceneses), ‘ohe (Reynoldsia sandwicensis), hao (Raovolfia sandwicensis), ‘āla‘a (Pouteria sandwicensis), āulu (Pisonia sandwicensis and its varieties), ‘a‘ali‘i (Dodonaea viscose), naio (Myoporum sandwicense), and wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis). The populations on Maui and Hawai‘i are primarily associated with ‘aiea (Nothocestrum spp.) trees. Perhaps the largest stand of ‘aiea trees in the State are located on Maui in the Kanaio Natural Area Reserve. Other large stands are found on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, and the island of Hawai‘i. On Moloka‘i, potential moth habitat consists of mixed-species mesic and dry forests with both native and non-native plants. On Kaho‘olawe, caterpillars currently feed on the non-native tree tobacco, as do populations on Maui and the island of Hawai‘i.

Historically, habitat loss and degradation due to ranching, introduced plants and animals, human development, and wildfire reduced the quantity and quality of native habitats. Current threats include non-native ants, especially the big-headed ant (Linepithema humile) and several species of parasitic flies and wasps. All species of host plants in the genus Nothocestrum are declining.