Conservation-flagship
Guides
Bombus affinis
Rusty-patched Bumble Bee, Rusty Patched Bumble Bee
Bombus affinis, the rusty-patched bumble bee, is a large eusocial bumble bee endemic to North America. Once among the most common bumble bees in the eastern and upper Midwest United States and southern Canada, it has declined by approximately 87-90% across its historical range since the late 1990s. It was listed as endangered in Canada in 2010 and became the first bee in the continental United States to receive federal protection under the Endangered Species Act in January 2017. The species is distinguished by a distinctive rust-colored patch on the second abdominal segment of workers and has notably shorter tongues than other bumble bee species.
Euphilotes battoides allyni
El Segundo Blue Butterfly
Euphilotes battoides allyni is a federally endangered subspecies of blue butterfly endemic to coastal sand dunes in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. The subspecies has an extremely restricted range, historically occurring only between El Segundo and San Pedro. It is one of the most geographically localized butterfly taxa in North America, with all known populations confined to areas supporting its obligate larval host plant, Eriogonum parvifolium (coastal buckwheat).
Glaucopsyche
blues, silvery blues, green-underside blues, black-eyed blues
Glaucopsyche is a genus of small butterflies commonly called 'blues' in the family Lycaenidae. The genus has a Holarctic distribution, with most species occurring in Palearctic Asia and several species in North America. It includes approximately 30 described species, among them the extinct Xerces blue (G. xerces), last seen in the early 1940s on the San Francisco Peninsula. Several species have notable conservation status, including the federally endangered Palos Verdes blue (G. lygdamus palosverdesensis).
Hesperia comma
silver-spotted skipper, common branded skipper, Holarctic grass skipper
Hesperia comma is a skipper butterfly in the family Hesperiidae with a Holarctic distribution spanning Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America. The species exhibits strong habitat specificity for warm, open calcareous grasslands with sparse short vegetation. Males are highly territorial, and the species shows sexual dimorphism with males bearing a wide black sex brand on the forewing. In the United Kingdom, it was historically rare and restricted to chalk downlands of southern England but has experienced significant population recovery through targeted conservation efforts.
Neomochtherus pallipes
Devon red-legged robber fly
Neomochtherus pallipes, commonly known as the Devon red-legged robber fly, is a species of robber fly in the family Asilidae. The species is listed as Critically Endangered in the UK and is endemic to or strongly associated with the Devon region of southwest England. It inhabits species-rich grasslands where it serves as a predator of other insects. Conservation efforts for this species are tied to habitat management practices including cattle grazing that maintains structural diversity in grassland swards.
Polites mardon
Mardon skipper
Polites mardon, the Mardon skipper, is a small butterfly in the family Hesperiidae endemic to the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It inhabits native grassland prairies, where it has been observed using native fescue grasses as oviposition sites. The species is listed as endangered in Washington state and was petitioned for federal endangered species listing in 2002. Conservation efforts initiated by the Xerces Society have focused on habitat protection and research into its ecological requirements.
Rosalia
Rosalia longicorn, Alpine longhorn beetle
Rosalia is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) established by Audinet-Serville in 1833. The genus includes the iconic Rosalia alpina, known as the Rosalia longicorn or Alpine longhorn beetle, a large and strikingly colored species protected under the European Union Habitats Directive. Members of this genus are associated with beech forests and have experienced significant range contractions across Europe due to habitat loss and forest management practices. The genus is characterized by elongated bodies, long antennae, and often distinctive coloration including blue-gray tones with black spots.