Science Fridays!
The Xerces blue butterfly was last seen 80 years ago and has been presumed extinct, but it was unclear if it was in fact its own species or an isolated population of a more widespread species, the silvery blue.
Researchers analyzed the DNA of a 93 year old specimen at the Field Museum in Chicago. They were able to confirm the Xerces is a unique species, and that it was the first US insect extinction at the hands of humans.
The butterfly was native to the San Francisco peninsula, identified and described in 1852, but last seen in the 1940's. It is believed that growing urban development caused considerable disturbance and habitat loss.
So the team wants to focus on conservation, "protecting what's there and learn from our past mistakes." We need to protect insect populations now more than ever, for maintaining biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.
Insects "aerate the soil, which allows the plants to grow, and which then feeds the herbivores, which then feed the carnivores. Every loss of an insect has a massive ripple effect across ecosystems."
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