'O'opu naniha original

Original 5”x7" illustration. Comes matted to 8”x10”  

‘O’opu naniha (Stenogobius hawaiiensis).

This little goby is one of five ‘o’opu species, four of which—including this one—are endemic to Hawai’i.

‘O’opu are amphidromous—in their life cycle, they spend part of their time in the ocean, and part of their time in fresh water (some also capable of spending time in brackish water). Although some other ‘o’opu are known to scale tall waterfalls, this species is less capable of climbing and are more often found in lower reaches of streams. It may be surprising that ‘o’opu naniha are most prevalent on O’ahu.

‘O’opu naniha spend six months as oceanic plankton, then return to streams to live out their adult life. Adults are known for elaborate courtship displays, and, once eggs are laid, males protect them until hatching.

Some of the biggest threats to ‘o’opu naniha are disruption of their stream habitats through diversion and damming of waterways. Pollution of waterways such as through runoff of fertilizers and pesticides may threaten ‘o’opu. Habitat loss and invasive species (of course!) also play a role in threatening this species and other ‘o’opu. ‘O’opu naniha is listed as Vulnerable by NatureServe.