Pine-rockland
Guides
Anaea troglodyta floridalis
Florida Leafwing
Anaea troglodyta floridalis is a federally endangered subspecies of butterfly endemic to southern Florida. It is one of the most imperiled butterflies in North America, with populations restricted to pine rockland and tropical hardwood hammock habitats in Miami-Dade County and Everglades National Park. The subspecies is highly dependent on its host plant Croton linearis for larval development. Habitat loss, fragmentation, and fire suppression have contributed to its decline, with remaining populations concentrated in protected areas.
Cicindelidia
Prairie Tiger Beetles, Limestone Tiger Beetles, Miami Tiger Beetle (for C. floridana), Highlands Tiger Beetle (for C. highlandensis), Scabrous Tiger Beetle (for C. scabrosa)
Cicindelidia is a genus of small to medium-sized tiger beetles primarily distributed in North America, with greatest diversity in the southern and western United States. The genus includes several notable species groups, most prominently the abdominalis species-group containing four sand-dwelling species (C. abdominalis, C. floridana, C. highlandensis, C. scabrosa) with red venters. Many species exhibit specialized habitat associations, including thermal springs (C. haemorrhagica), limestone outcrops (C. politula), pine rocklands (C. floridana), and sand scrub habitats (C. scabrosa, C. highlandensis). Several species are of conservation concern due to restricted ranges and habitat loss.
ColeopteraCicindelidaetiger-beetlesNorth-Americathermal-springsendemic-speciesconservationsand-habitatspine-rocklandlimestone-habitatspredatory-beetlesmetal-bioaccumulationabdomenalis-species-groupFlorida-endemicsYellowstone-National-Parkriparian-habitatscobblestone-habitatsprairie-habitatsxeric-habitatsfire-adapted-habitatsendangered-speciesrediscovered-specieslarval-burrowsthermoregulationphotography-subjectscollecting-interestCicindelidia floridana
Miami Tiger Beetle
Cicindelidia floridana, the Miami Tiger Beetle, is a critically endangered species endemic to pine rockland habitat in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Rediscovered in 2007 after being presumed extinct since the 1940s, it is one of the rarest tiger beetles in North America. Adults are diurnal predators with brilliant coppery-green coloration, reduced elytral maculation, and distinctly punctured elytra with dense lateral pronotal setae. The species shows extreme habitat specificity to open sandy patches within fire-maintained pine rocklands, making it exceptionally vulnerable to urban development.
Ephyriades brunnea
Florida Duskywing, Florida duskywing skipper
Ephyriades brunnea is a skipper butterfly endemic to South Florida, restricted to pine rockland habitats. The species has experienced noticeable population declines in recent years and is listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Florida. Adults have a wingspan of approximately 48 mm and exhibit sexual dimorphism in wing pattern. Larvae feed exclusively on Barbados cherry (Malpighia emarginata), while adults nectar on wild coffee and other flowering plants.
Eumaeus atala
Atala, Atala butterfly, Atala hairstreak, coontie hairstreak
The Atala butterfly is a small, colorful lycaenid butterfly unique within its range for its aposematic coloration and exclusive association with cycad host plants. Once considered the most conspicuous insect in South Florida in 1888, it was believed extinct by the 1950s due to overharvesting of its sole native host plant, coontie (Zamia integrifolia), for starch production. Rediscovered in 1979 on a Miami barrier island, the species has recovered dramatically through conservation efforts and the popularity of coontie as an ornamental landscape plant, becoming common enough in southeast Florida to occasionally be regarded as a pest. The butterfly sequesters toxic cycasin compounds from its host, rendering all life stages unpalatable to predators.
butterflyhairstreakLycaenidaecycadcoontieZamiaaposematic-colorationchemical-defenseconservationendangered-species-recoveryFlorida-endemicpine-rocklandhost-plant-specialistsequestrationurban-wildlifeornamental-pestfreeze-dried-dietex-situ-conservationreintroductionfire-dependent-ecosystemnative-plant-landscapingcycasin-toxicitymultivoltineterritorial-malescorematasound-producing-pupaeStrymon acis
Bartram's scrub-hairstreak, Caribbean Scrub-Hairstreak
Strymon acis is a small lycaenid butterfly with a wingspan of 22–29 mm, occurring in southern Florida and the West Indies. The subspecies S. a. bartrami, restricted to southern Florida, is federally listed as Endangered under the United States Endangered Species Act. The species is tightly associated with pine rockland habitats and depends on Croton linearis as its larval host plant.