Myoporum thrips, invasive insects that attacks native naio plants (Myoporum spp.), have been detected for the first time on Kauaʻi.

The new detection is the result of a report submitted by a member of the public via the 643pest.org website. The situation is being cooperatively managed by the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), the Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee (KISC) and the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (HDAB).

Upon receipt of the report, HDAB and KISC conducted island-wide surveys on cultivated naio plants, discovering two additional infestation locations. DOFAW is currently surveying wild naio populations across the island.

Naio, which grows as a tree or shrub, depending on the climate, is an important component of lowland and coastal dry forest ecosystems. Naio acts as host to several species of endemic insects and pollinators.

Myoporum thrips were first discovered in the state in 2009, on Hawaiʻi Island, where they are now widespread. The invasive insect was identified on Oʻahu in 2018 and confirmed on Moloka’i in 2024. Pathways to potential introduction for the destructive pest are many and include the shipping of plants, equipment, parts of naio and thrips hitching a ride on humans.

 

DLNR Photo