The genus Omiodes, represented in Hawai‘i by 23 endemic species, has been a center of controversy related to the use of biological control; over half of the recognized Hawaiian species have been presumed extinct due to non-target impacts of biological control agents. However, I have recently rediscovered several extinct taxa in the group, and the specific status of other extinct taxa has been questioned by taxonomists, who have proposed that some currently recognized species may be better characterized as subspecies. Prior to this study, the group has never been examined in a phylogenetic context.

Here I present phylogenetic trees for Hawaiian Omiodes based on morphological and genetic data. This helps to clarify relationships between taxa and to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the group with special attention to host plant use and current geographic distribution within the Hawaiian Islands. Speciation in this group appears to have been primarily driven by host plant or habitat specialization rather than the more typical pattern of island colonization followed by geographic isolation.