Hawaiian-endemism
Guides
Colletidae
plasterer bees, polyester bees, cellophane bees
Colletidae is a family of solitary bees comprising over 2,000 species across 54 genera and five subfamilies. Members are commonly called plasterer bees or polyester bees due to their distinctive nest cell linings: females apply oral and abdominal secretions that dry into a cellophane-like, waterproof polyester membrane. The family exhibits exceptional diversity in Australia and South America, with over 50% of Australian bee species belonging to this family. Two subfamilies, Euryglossinae and Hylaeinae, uniquely lack external pollen-carrying structures (scopa) and instead transport pollen internally in their crops, feeding larvae with liquid or semiliquid pollen masses. Most species are solitary ground-nesters, though many form dense aggregations, and some exhibit crepuscular activity with enlarged ocelli.
Engytatus
Engytatus is a genus of plant bugs (Heteroptera: Miridae, tribe Dicyphini) comprising 28 described species worldwide. Species within this genus exhibit diverse feeding strategies: some are specialized herbivores associated with native host plants (particularly in Hawaiian endemics), while others are zoophytophagous predators of agricultural pests on Solanaceae crops. The genus has attracted significant attention for biological control applications, with species such as E. varians and E. nicotianae being investigated as biocontrol agents for tomato potato psyllid, whiteflies, and lepidopteran pests. Hawaiian endemic species demonstrate remarkable host-plant specialization on endangered native flora.
Mecaphesa
crab spiders
Mecaphesa is a genus of crab spiders in the family Thomisidae, first described by Eugène Simon in 1900. The genus contains approximately 49 species distributed across North America, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and Hawaii. Species exhibit cryptic coloration for ambush predation on flowers.