Kauaʻi record · KCA-IA-00633
Koa Butterfly
Udara blackburni
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About Koa Butterfly
Koa Butterfly (Udara blackburni) is a member of Lycaenidae in the order Lepidoptera. Its recorded origin status on Kauaʻi is endemic hawaiian.
Koa Butterfly (Udara blackburni) is documented from Kauaʻi. Lycaenid butterflies are small day-flying butterflies. Caterpillars feed on species-specific host plants and in some species interact with ants. On Kauaʻi, observations are most useful when they record larval host, ant associations if any, adult sex, flower use, and immature stages. Where island-specific host, prey, breeding-site, abundance, or seasonal information is not yet firmly documented, those details should remain tied to direct specimens and field observations rather than inferred from populations elsewhere.
Koa Butterfly (Udara blackburni) is one of Hawaiʻi's two native butterfly species and is documented on Kauaʻi. Caterpillars use koa and ʻaʻaliʻi among their native hosts; adults are blue above and greenish below.
Kauaʻi occurrence evidence: BAMONA has verified recent Kauaʻi records including 2024; NatureServe and Hawaiʻi DLNR identify U. blackburni as native/endemic to Hawaiʻi.
The cited occurrence evidence does not by itself establish current abundance or population trend on Kauaʻi.
Life cycle
Egg; caterpillar; pupa; adult.
Habitat
Open vegetation, gardens, coasts, roadsides, and other sites with larval hosts and nectar plants.
Food and ecological role
Larvae feed on host plants; adults use nectar.
Reproduction
Females place eggs on suitable host plants.
Movement
Adults are active day-fliers.
Ecosystem role
Herbivore as larva and flower visitor/pollinator as adult.
Threats and impacts
Effects depend on host use and abundance.
Monitoring
Record larval host, ant associations if any, adult sex, flower use, and immature stages.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Udara blackburni
- Common names
- Koa Butterfly
- Family
- Lycaenidae
- Order
- Lepidoptera
- Record type
- species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Present
- Origin
- Endemic Hawaiian
- Conservation status
- Not assessed
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal description
- Koa Butterfly (Udara blackburni) is a member of Lycaenidae in the order Lepidoptera. Its recorded origin status on Kauaʻi is endemic hawaiian.