Tahiti, (Society Islands, French Polynesia), is a jumping off point for many destinations in the South Pacific. It has the largest seaport and airport in French Polynesia, and is itself a destination for adventurous travelers. Yet, the insect fauna of Tahiti is poorly known. This is due largely to the inaccessibility of the island’s interior – steep, rugged mountains with dense vegetation. Moths (Lepidoptera) in particular, are abundant and diverse, but mostly unknown to science. Many of the most charismatic macro-moth species from Tahiti were named as recently as 2003, while the micro-moths remain largely undescribed.
In June-July of 2015, along with Dr. Darko Cotoras (studying Tetragnatha spiders), I spent six weeks collecting micro-moths on the islands of Tahiti, Raiatea, and Huahine. Hauling our packs up knife-edge ridges and through seas of Dicranopteris ferns, we reached some of the most pristine habitats left in the South Pacific. Despite frequent heavy rains creating unseasonably cool temperatures, I was able to attract many endemic moths to my ultraviolet lights, field-pinning them in the tent before moving on to the next site. It will take some time to process all the specimens, but at first glance I would estimate 20-25 new species from this expedition.