wekiu bug

Meaning

Noun

• An insect in either of two species in the family Lygaeidae, Nysius wekiucola (species) (found on Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii) and Nysius wekiucola (species) (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).

Origin

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