‘O‘opu ‘Alamo‘o, the Waterfall-Climbing Goby
■ ‘O‘opu ‘alamo‘o is an endemic Hawai‘i freshwater fish that according to the Hawai‘i’s State Wildlife Action Plan has an unusual ability. It can climb waterfalls.
Author ‘I‘inimaikalani Keali‘ikua‘āina Kahakalau in his article “Waipi‘o Kū75;puna Seek Support from Hawaiian Community,” published in the November 2022 issue of Ka Wai Ola magazine, talks about the waterfall-climbing goby:
“Waipi‘o’s estuary is the entry way for hinana, who turn into multiple species of ‘o‘opu (native goby fish) as they make their way up into the river and its tributaries. In fact, Waipi‘o is one of a few places in all of Hawai‘i that still has ‘o‘opu alamo‘o, also known as hi‘ukole, considered threatened by the American Fisheries Society,” he writes.
“Alamo‘o, who climb Hi‘ilawe, a 1,450-foot waterfall, are an endemic species found nowhere else in the world,” he adds. Beyond Waipi‘o, these fish also can be found above the 422-foot-high Akaka Falls at Akaka Falls State Park on Hawai‘i island.
The endemic, only found in Hawaii, ‘o‘opu ‘alamo‘o (scientific name Lentipes concolor) are omnivores and feed mostly on small aquatic animals including atyidae shrimp. They also graze on microalgae. As they swim along streams, they also can eat drift or insects. Male ‘o‘opu ‘alamo‘o have striking color patterns that change with behavior. Males are territorial while females are not.
‘O‘opu ‘alamo‘o breed in upstream areas from late fall to early spring. Breeding is cued by freshets (flooding
