Coleotichus blackburniae as they develop. This insect occurs on all the main islands of Hawaii. They are found on `a`ali`i ("Dodonaea viscosa") bushes and koa ("Acacia koa") trees. Also found on Formosan Koa (Acacia confusa) which is native to Southeast Asia. It has been commonly used in Hawaii as an ornamental landscape tree that has been deemed invasive. A. confusa and A. koa both have distinctive phyllodes that differentiate each species but since its introduction C. blackburniae has been recorded to associate with the invasive Formosan koa. Common to all true bugs, this species has no mouth parts with which to bite,
Acacia koa there are few koa remaining which are both large and straight enough to do so today. In areas where cattle are present, koa regeneration is almost completely suppressed. However, if the cattle are removed, koa are among the few native Hawaiian plants able to germinate in grassland, and can be instrumental in restoring native forest. It is often possible to begin reforestation in a pasture by disk harrowing the soil, as this scarifies seeds in the soil and encourages large numbers of koa to germinate. Experiments at the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge have shown that ōhia lehua ("Metrosideros polymorpha")