Kamehameha butterfly: Difference between revisions

Kamehameha butterfly
Conservation status
	Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Vanessa
Species:	V. tameamea
Binomial name
	Vanessa tameamea; (Eschscholtz, 1878)

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The Kamehameha butterfly (Vanessa tameamea) is one of the two species of butterfly endemic to Hawaii, the other is Udara blackburni.^[1] The Hawaiian name is pulelehua. This is today a catch-all native term for all butterflies; its origin seems to be pulelo "to float" or "to undulate in the air" + lehua, "reddish," or "rainbow colored," probably due to the predominant color of the Metrosideros polymorpha flower: an animal that floats through the air, from one lehua to another. Alternatively, it is called lepelepe-o-Hina – roughly, "Hina's fringewing" – which is today also used for the introduced monarch butterfly.

The Kamehameha butterfly was named the state insect of Hawaii in 2009, due to the work of a group of fifth-graders from Pearl Ridge Elementary.^[2] These 5th graders (Robyn-Ashley Amano, Ryan Asuka, Kristi Kimura, Jennifer Loui, Toshiro Yanai and Jenna Yanke) proposed the butterfly as the state insect to various legislators as a project for Gifted and Talented.

Description

The caterpillars feed on the leaves of plants in the Urticaceae family,^[3] especially those of māmaki (Pipturus albidus)^[4] but also ōpuhe (Urera spp.), ʻākōlea (Boehmeria grandis), olonā (Touchardia latifolia), and maʻoloa (Neraudia spp.).^[3] Adults eat the sap of koa (Acacia koa) trees.^[5]

Taxonomy

It is named after the royal House of Kamehameha; the last king of this lineage, Kamehameha V, had died in 1872, a short time before this species was described. The specific name tameamea is an old-fashioned and partially wrong transcription of "Kamehameha". The Hawaiian language has no strict distinction between the voiceless alveolar plosive and voiceless velar plosive; use varies from island to island, but today, "k" is used as the standard transliteration. The voiceless glottal transition "h" is distinct and should always be pronounced - for example, "aloha" is correct whereas "aloa" is a wrong pronunciation. Thus, while "Tamehameha" would be a legitimate transcription (though considered old-fashioned on most islands), "Tameamea" is not.

References

^ Oboyski, Peter T. "Kamehameha Butterfly (Vanessa tameamea)". University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
^ Cooper, Jeanne (2009-08-21). "Emblems of Hawaii a surprise to many Americans". San Francisco Chronicle.
^ ^a ^b Scott, James A. (1992). The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford University Press. p. 281. ISBN 978-0-8047-2013-7.
^ Little Jr., Elbert L.; Roger G. Skolmen (1989). "Mamaki" (PDF). Common Forest Trees of Hawaii (Native and Introduced). United States Forest Service.
^ Scott, Susan (1991). Plants and Animals of Hawaii. Bess Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-935848-93-9.

External links

Media related to Vanessa tameamea at Wikimedia Commons

"50. Kamehameha Butterfly". Hawaii Biological Survey’s Good Guys & Bad Guys. Bernice P. Bishop Museum.
"Hawaii's Butterflies". University of Hawaiʻi Insect Museum. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

This Nymphalinae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Oboyski, Peter T. "Kamehameha Butterfly (Vanessa tameamea)". University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2009-11-27.

[2] Cooper, Jeanne (2009-08-21). "Emblems of Hawaii a surprise to many Americans". San Francisco Chronicle.

[Scott-3] Scott, James A. (1992). The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford University Press. p. 281. ISBN 978-0-8047-2013-7.

[4] Little Jr., Elbert L.; Roger G. Skolmen (1989). "Mamaki" (PDF). Common Forest Trees of Hawaii (Native and Introduced). United States Forest Service.

[5] Scott, Susan (1991). Plants and Animals of Hawaii. Bess Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-935848-93-9.

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-The '''Kamehameha butterfly''' (''Vanessa tameamea'') is one of the two [[species]] of [[butterfly]] [[endemism|endemic]] to [[Hawaii]], the other is ''[[Udara blackburni]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nature.berkeley.edu/~poboyski/hawaii/kambutterfly.htm |title=Kamehameha Butterfly (''Vanessa tameamea'') |first=Peter T |last=Oboyski |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |accessdate=2009-11-27}}</ref> The [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] name is '''''pulelehua'''''. This is today a catch-all native term for all butterflies; its origin seems to be ''pulelo'' "to float" or "to undulate in the air" + ''lehua'', a ''[[Metrosideros polymorpha]]'' flower: an animal that floats through the air, from one ''lehua'' to another. Alternatively, it is called '''''lepelepe-o-Hina''''' &ndash; roughly, "[[Hina (goddess)|Hina]]'s fringewing" &ndash; which is today also used for the introduced [[Monarch (butterfly)|monarch butterfly]].
+The '''Kamehameha butterfly''' (''Vanessa tameamea'') is one of the two [[species]] of [[butterfly]] [[endemism|endemic]] to [[Hawaii]], the other is ''[[Udara blackburni]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nature.berkeley.edu/~poboyski/hawaii/kambutterfly.htm |title=Kamehameha Butterfly (''Vanessa tameamea'') |first=Peter T |last=Oboyski |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |accessdate=2009-11-27}}</ref> The [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] name is '''''pulelehua'''''. This is today a catch-all native term for all butterflies; its origin seems to be ''pulelo'' "to float" or "to undulate in the air" + ''lehua'', "reddish," or "rainbow colored," probably due to the predominant color of the ''[[Metrosideros polymorpha]]'' flower: an animal that floats through the air, from one ''lehua'' to another. Alternatively, it is called '''''lepelepe-o-Hina''''' &ndash; roughly, "[[Hina (goddess)|Hina]]'s fringewing" &ndash; which is today also used for the introduced [[Monarch (butterfly)|monarch butterfly]].
 The Kamehameha butterfly was named the [[List of U.S. state insects|state insect]] of Hawaii in 2009, due to the work of a group of fifth-graders from Pearl Ridge Elementary.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/08/21/alohafriday082109.DTL |title=Emblems of Hawaii a surprise to many Americans |first=Jeanne |last=Cooper |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=2009-08-21}}</ref> These 5th graders (Robyn-Ashley Amano, Ryan Asuka, Kristi Kimura, Jennifer Loui, Toshiro Yanai and Jenna Yanke) proposed the butterfly as the state insect to various legislators as a project for Gifted and Talented.