June 3, 2013

Butterfly on the brink: First Schaus female found in a year raises hope for revival of species



The fate of a species may rest upon a single butterfly captured in late May by University of Florida lepidopterists.

A UF research technician netted a female Schaus swallowtail in Biscayne National Park on Elliott Key, the first capture of a female since a multi-agency work group got a permit to do so last year.

The Schaus population has declined so much that last year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) issued UF an emergency permit to collect eggs.