Endangered Species – Insects

Endangered Species – Insects: "

Australian Ant (Nothomyrmecia macrops)

Status: Critically endangered (IUCN)



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Australian ants, also known as the Dinosaur ants, are found only in the Australian state of South Australia, and occupy several sites in an area measuring less than 0.4 square mile. Major threats to their survival include habitat destruction due to increasing population in the Australian ant’s limited range and bush fires at night. Although small in size, measuring only about 0.4 inch long, workers are able to carry large prey such as a caterpillar.

American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus)

Status: Critically endangered (IUCN), Endangered (ESA)



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American burying beetle, also known as the giant carrion beetle, occurs only in the states of Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Arkansas, South Dakota and Nebraska, a combined area of which is less than 5% of their historic range. It is one of the few species of beetle to exhibit parental care in which both the male and female help to feed and care for the young, an unusual activity among insects.

Corsican Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio hospiton)

Status: Endangered (IUCN, ESA)



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Corsican swallowtails are found only on the islands of Corsica (France) and Sardinia (Italy) in the Mediterranean Sea. The chief threats to the Corsican swallowtail are the loss of its food source and its habitat. The plants eaten in its caterpillar stage are burned by shepherds, claiming these plants to be poisonous to their sheep. Human development on these islands, such as the building of ski resorts, has also destroyed much of the butterflies’ habitat.

Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Butterfly (Ornithoptera alexandrae or Troides alexandrae)

Status: Endangered (IUCN, ESA)



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Believed to be the world’s largest butterfly, the female Queen Alexandra’s birdwing has wingspans measuring more than 10 inches, while the male has wingspans of about 7 inches. It is found mainly on the Popondetta Plain in northern Papua New Guinea. The species is threatened by the area’s expanding oil palm plantation and growing human populations as its primary habitat, the rainforest, are cleared to create urban areas.

Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana)

Status: Endangered (IUCN, ESA)



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The Hine’s emerald dragonfly, also called Ohio emerald dragonfly, is believed to have completely disappeared from its former range in Ohio State, where no specimens have been collected since 1953. However, in 1997, this dragonfly was discovered in a few locations in Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois. This species prefers to inhabit in areas of wet spongy ground composed chiefly of peat, but the draining of these wetlands to create urban and commercial areas is a major cause for its decline.

Blackburn’s Sphinx Moth (Manduca blackburni)

Status: Endangered (ESA)



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Previously known to inhabit all of the Hawaiian main islands, the Blackburn’s Sphinx Moth is now seen on Maui, the Big Island, and Kahoʻolawe, and occurs in dry coastal forests at elevations from sea level to 2,500 feet. The primary threat to this moth is the destruction of its habitat by deer and by feral animals particularly goats that consume and destroy the native plant vital to the moth’s survival. Military maneuvers by the National Guard within the moth’s core habitat also pose a threat, as do accidental fires in the arid region.

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