Lotis Blue Butterfly Recovery Plan - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Lotis Blue Butterfly Recovery Plan - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Lotis Blue Butterfly Recovery Plan - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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Bri ef Overvi ew<br />
<strong>Lotis</strong> <strong>Blue</strong> <strong>Butterfly</strong> <strong>Recovery</strong> <strong>Plan</strong><br />
Part I<br />
Introduction<br />
The 1 otis blue butterfly [Lycaeides argyrognomon lot is (Lintner)]<br />
(Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), may be the rarest resident butterfly in<br />
the continental United States. It i s now known from only one<br />
local ity, a sphagnum bog in Mendocino County, Cal ifornia. Curing<br />
1977-1981, only 16 adult specimens were seen in 42 days of field<br />
searching at the 2 hectare site (Arnold 1978, 1980, 1981a, <strong>and</strong> unpubl.<br />
data) . This site represents the on1 y known occupied habitat. The<br />
U.S. <strong>Fish</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Wildlife</strong> <strong>Service</strong> (USFWS) listed the lotis blue butterfly<br />
as an endangered species in 1976 (41 Federal Register 22041). Its<br />
survival is threatened largely by bi 01 ogical <strong>and</strong> cl irnatic factors<br />
rather than primarily by actions of man. However l<strong>and</strong> use changes<br />
have the potential to destroy known habitat <strong>and</strong> potential sites.<br />
One purpose of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, is "to<br />
provide means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species <strong>and</strong><br />
threatened species depend may be conserved." This recovery plan