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List of Federally-Protected Insects

Numerous factors have contributed to the extinction of some insects, and to the continued threat to existing insect populations in the United States. The most notable causes are environmental issues, both natural, such as global warming, and man-made threats, such as habitat loss through over-development and extensive farming, as well as pesticide use and chemical pollution. In the past century, a number of insect species in the United States have been placed on the federal list of endangered species and are now protected by law.

Butterflies and Moths
- A growing number of butterflies and moths are now federally protected in the United States. Habitat loss through development and clearing of scrub land has been a major contributor to the decline of these insects that rely on wildflowers for food and shelter. Pesticides and other pollutants also have been a factor that have added to the dwindling numbers. Just a few of the federally protected butterflies on the list include the Bay Checkerspot, Behren's Silverspot, Callippe Silverspot, El Segundo Blue and the Mission Blue, all once commonly found in California and sometimes recorded in other states.
  
  A few other butterflies include the Mitchell's satyr butterfly, Oregon silverspot butterfly and the Myrtle's silverspot butterfly. Some protected moths include the Kern primrose sphinx moth found in California and the Blackburn's sphinx moth from Hawaii.
Beetles
- Beetles are winged insects that include the most diverse order of species in the animal kingdom. They are found worldwide and come in many different shapes, colors and sizes, often with a hard exoskeleton. New species of beetle are being found every day and some are disappearing fast due to habitat destruction, pollution and climatic changes. Federally protected beetles in the United States include the American Burying beetle, the Coffin Cave mold beetle, the Comal Springs Dryopid beetle, the Comal Springs Riffle beetle, the Delta Green ground beetle, the Helotes mold beetle, Hungerford's crawling water beetle, the Kretschmarr Cave mold beetle, the Mount Hermon June beetle, the Tooth Cave ground beetle, three species of tiger beetles and the Valley Elderberry Longhorn beetle. All are now listed as threatened species.
Dragonflies, Damselflies and Flies
- The presence of damselflies and dragonflies is often an indication of a healthy ecosystem around lakes, streams and rivers. These insects are mostly carnivorous and feed on mosquito larvae and the larvae of other insects found around a body of water. There has been a drastic decline in their numbers due to pollution and climate change, and federally listed species in the United States include the flying earwig Hawaiian dragonfly, the Pacific Hawaiian damselfly and the Hine's emerald dragonfly found in a number of U.S. states. A number of U.S. fly species also are on the endangered list; the Hawaiian picture-wing fly, the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly and a number of Pomace fly species are now listed as protected.
Other Endangered Insects
- Environmental changes, habitat loss and pollution affect many species of insect. Among those now protected by law are the Laguna Mountains skipper, the Pawnee montane skipper, the Carson wandering skipper, the Ash Meadows naucorid and the Zayante band-winged grasshopper. Other species are continuously being added to the endangered list, but some conservation measures are being taken to protect habitats and encourage the stabilization of the population of threatened species.

Insects & Science