In a region saturated with spectacular aquamarine waters and bright coral reefs, the colorful Schaus swallowtail butterfly (Heraclides aristodemus ponceanus) once was a familiar sight as it flitted over Biscayne National Park in South Florida. But the insect's numbers have declined over the past decade. With only five recent sightings, three confirmed, at the island park, federal wildlife officials are trying to save the species from extinction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service late last week issued an emergency authorization to collect up to four Schaus swallowtail females within the park and collect and raise their eggs. "This is a very low number of individuals compared to what should be in the field," said Jaret Daniels, an entomology researcher with the University of Florida. The Schaus swallowtail, contained to a relatively small area in southeast Florida, in 1976 was listed under the Endangered Species Act as threatened. It reached the endangered status eight years later. During the 2011 survey, there were 41 sightings, mostly on Elliott Key, the park's largest island. Six of the 41 were found on north Key Largo. Finding, or for that matter catching, four females won't be easy. Of the five sightings since May, only one was a female.
Source: CNN, June 14, 2012
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/13/health/florida-endangered-butterfly/
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