Possibly-extinct
Guides
Apterocyclus munroi
Apterocyclus munroi is a species of stag beetle in the family Lucanidae. The species was described from four specimens collected on Kauai, Hawaii in 1897. No confirmed observations have been made since the original collection, and the species is considered possibly extinct. It belongs to a genus of flightless stag beetles endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.
Bombus franklini
Franklin's bumble bee, Franklin's bumblebee
Bombus franklini is a critically endangered bumble bee species with the most restricted range of any bumble bee in the world, confined to a 13,300-square-mile area spanning five counties in southern Oregon and northern California. The species has not been observed since 2006, despite intensive monitoring by entomologist Robbin Thorp from 1998 until his death in 2019. Listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2021, it is feared extinct due to severe population decline from an estimated 94 individuals in 1998 to zero confirmed sightings since 2006. Genomic research indicates long-term population decline driven by bottlenecks and environmental stressors rather than pathogens alone.
Cotinis aliena
Keys green June beetle
Cotinis aliena, commonly known as the Keys green June beetle, is a critically imperiled scarab beetle endemic to extreme southern Florida. The species has not been observed since 1998 and is known from only four localities: three in the Florida Keys and one in southern peninsular Florida. Its extreme rarity and apparent extirpation risk make it one of North America's most endangered beetle species.
Rhacognathus americanus
Rhacognathus americanus is a large predatory stink bug in the subfamily Asopinae, first described by Carl Stål in 1870. Adults measure 9–11 mm and exhibit dark brown to black coloration mottled with dull yellow. The species is native to North America but has not been collected or observed since 1966, with fewer than 40 verifiable sightings recorded throughout the entire 20th century. It is considered likely extirpated from Ontario and may be extinct across its range.