There are three morphospecies of small carpenter bees on Dongsha Island. Their black bodies flit among the flowering trees and shrubs of the island. In 2017, the Marine National Park Headquarters commissioned Professor Yang Man-miao’s team from National Chung Hsing University to use long-term camera monitoring to record interactions between insects and vegetation. The study found that small carpenter bees are important pollinators on Dongsha Island, playing a crucial role in helping nectar plants such as Wrightia religiosa and Serissa foetida—both of which bloom almost year-round—successfully flower and fruit.
The terrestrial fauna of Dongsha Island is dominated by insects, with herbivorous insects being the most numerous. Common large species include the three-colored star moth and the large hawk moth, while carnivorous beetles such as the Oriental spotted flower beetle are also easily observed. As of 2017, a total of 785 insect morphospecies have been recorded on Dongsha Island, of which 150 have been identified, with one newly recorded species, the gray giant moth (Erebus griseus).
Since its establishment in 2007, Dongsha Atoll National Park has conducted three insect resource surveys, each recording between 200 and 300 morphospecies. Previous studies suggest that the limited resources of the island may affect the diversity of insects. New insect species can arrive via air currents, driftwood, or other natural means, while some species naturally disappear. The Dongsha management station regularly conducts field patrols and adjusts the frequency of conservation research based on survey results, with the goal of discovering new ecological perspectives within the national park.
