wekiu bug

English

Etymology

From Hawaiian Puʻu Wēkiu, the highest peak on Mauna Kea, where the first specimen was found.

Noun

wekiu bug (plural wekiu bugs)

  1. An insect in either of two species in the family Lygaeidae, Nysius wekiucola (found on Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii) and Nysius wekiucola (found on the neighboring Mauna Loa), notable for living above the snow line at temperatures constantly below freezing, and for feeding on frozen insects (all other species in the family feed on plants).
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.