What is a Xerces blue and what happened to them?
What is a Xerces blue and what happened to them?
Xerces Blue butterflies were last seen in the early 1940s in the San Francisco Bay area. It is one of the first American butterflies to become extinct from habitat loss caused by urban development. In its honor, the Xerxes society was created, focused on invertebrate conservation.
When did Xerces blue go extinct?
1940s
The Xerces blue’s habitat was destroyed by development in the sand dunes of San Francisco, and the species was declared extinct by the 1940s.
Is Miami a blue?
The Miami blue (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri) is a small butterfly that is native to coastal areas of southern Florida. It is a subspecies of Thomas’s blue. Once common throughout its range, it has become critically endangered….
| Miami blue | |
|---|---|
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Cyclargus |
| Species: | C. thomasi |
Where did the Xerces blue live?
San Francisco Peninsula
The species lived in coastal sand dunes of the Sunset District of San Francisco Peninsula. The Xerces blue is believed to be the first American butterfly species to become extinct as a result of loss of habitat caused by urban development.
What does the Xerces blue butterfly eat?
First described in 1852, the Xerces Blue is a member of the Lycaenidae (gossamer-winged butterflies), the world’s second largest family of butterflies. Their food plants are legumes in the genera Lotus and Lupinus, and the larvae were known to have a relationship with ants, in which the ants helped tend the larvae.
Where are the blue butterflies from?
Native to the rainforests of Mexico, Central America and South America, this bright blue butterfly has a short but stunning life. It is thought that the colour helps the males to mark their territories, and acts as a defence against predators.
Where is the Miami blue found?
The Miami blue was thought extinct until it was rediscovered in 1999 in Bahia Honda State Park in the Lower Florida Keys (Daniels 2006).
What did the Xerces blue eat?
The species was first described and documented in 1852. It was characterized by blue wings with white spots. The butterflies fed on vegetation belonging to the genus Lotus and Lupinus.
When was the Xerces blue butterfly discovered?
1852
Despite only being formally described by Boisduval in 1852 [6] and declared extinct less than 100 years later in the 1940s, quite a lot is known about the biology of G. xerces.