Colonisation of the Fiji Islands by the Lurcher Yoma sabina (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)
This study documents the recent colonization of Fiji by the lurcher butterfly (Yoma sabina), previously unrecorded there and located about 830 km from its nearest known population in Vanuatu. iNaturalist records suggest arrival in the early 2020s, highlighting the value of community science data for tracking range expansion and island biodiversity change.
Subject Tags
- Biodiversity
- Wildlife
Abstract
Documenting new colonisations of species and rates of establishment on islands is important for studying ecological interactions with resident species and adds to our understanding of island biogeography. Here, I document the apparent recent establishment of the lurcher Yoma sabina in the Fiji Islands, a butterfly species previously unrecorded in Fiji in the published literature, some 830 km away from its closest known occurrence in Vanuatu. Based on records in iNaturalist, colonisation is likely to have occurred in the early 2020s.
Citation
Fitzsimons, J. A. (2025). Colonisation of the Fiji Islands by the Lurcher Yoma sabina (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Journal of Insect Conservation, 29(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-025-00651-1
TNC Authors
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James A. Fitzsimons
Senior Advisor, Global Protection Strategies
The Nature Conservancy
Email: jfitzsimons@tnc.org