BETSY GAGNE / DEPARTMENT OF LAND & NATURAL RESOURCES The Blackburn's sphinx moth is one of Hawaii's largest native insects.

Endangered moth gets
protected land in plan

Critical habitats would be created
on 4 islands for the insect

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By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.com

One of Hawaii's largest native insects, the endangered Blackburn's sphinx moth, could have 99,433 acres of critical habitat designated for it on four islands in a proposal released yesterday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

With a wingspan of up to 5 inches, the Blackburn's sphinx moth was considered to be extinct as recently as the late 1970s. They were rediscovered on East Maui in 1984, and since then there have been sightings on Maui, the Big Island and Kahoolawe.

A member of the family Sphingidae, the moth is grayish brown, with black bands across the top margins of the hind wings and five orange spots along each side of the abdomen.

The moth's native host plants are dry forest trees and certain native flowering plants. These plants are in decline because of the impacts of ranching, introduced plants and animals, and urban development.

Under the Endangered Species Act, a critical-habitat designation identifies geographic areas that are essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management considerations or protection.

The critical-habitat areas for the moth are different from the areas proposed recently for 255 endangered plants, although they may overlap in some cases.

"This was the first Hawaiian insect to be protected under the Endangered Species Act, and it is the first for which we are proposing critical habitat," said Anne Badgley, Fish and Wildlife's Pacific regional director.

"Designating critical habitat for the Blackburn's sphinx moth will help conserve a species found nowhere else on earth, and demonstrates our commitment to protecting as many aspects of Hawaii's unique ecosystems as possible."

A critical-habitat designation does not set up a preserve or refuge, nor does it affect the activities of citizens engaged in private activities on their land, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. It does require that federal agencies consult with the service about any activities they authorize, undertake or fund that might destroy or adversely modify the critical habitat.

The proposed rule designating critical habitat for the Blackburn's sphinx moth was published yesterday in the Federal Register, and comments on the proposal will be accepted for 60 days. The proposed rule can be seen at the Federal Register's Web site at www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html, or obtained by calling the Fish and Wildlife Service on Oahu at 541-3441.