Insects and Spiders - Threatened And Endangered Foreign Species Of Insects

As of March 2006 there were only four foreign insects listed under the Endangered Species Act, as follows:

• Luzon peacock swallowtail butterfly (Papilio chikae)
• Homerus swallowtail butterfly (Papilio homerus)
• Corsican swallowtail butterfly (Papilio hospiton)
• Queen Alexandra's birdwing butterfly (Troides alexandrae)

All four butterfly species have endangered status.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) listed 559 species of insects as threatened in its 2004 Red List of Threatened Species. This number comprises nearly three-fourths of the species evaluated, but less than 1% of described species.

Monarch Butterfly

Among the best-known insect species, the adult monarch butterfly is characterized by orange wings with black veins and white spots at the outer margins. Historically, monarch butterflies migrated by the millions up and down the North American continent on a journey extending 3,000 miles. Over time, monarch butterfly populations have also become established in Australia and on the Pacific islands of Samoa and Tahiti. Other monarch populations have appeared in Hawaii and New Zealand.

For many years, naturalists sought to pinpoint the location where monarchs hibernate in January and February in preparation for their mating season and northward migration in March. In 1975, following an arduous search, a serene monarch hibernation area was located in the high altitude forests of the Michoacán Mountains in Mexico. Mexico declared the impoverished region a protected area. The inhabitants of the area turned the site into an ecotourism attraction in order to generate income for the economy. However, ecotourism not only failed to generate sufficient money to support the people of the area, but also caused severe habitat disruption. The onslaught of tourists affected habitats by introducing excessive noise, tobacco smoke, fire, and pollution. Monarch butterflies are now considered endangered by the IUCN. The FWS and the Mexican government have since attempted to nurture a self-sustaining economy in the monarch hibernation area by introducing fish breeding and horticulture.