Lotis Blue Butterfly Recovery Plan - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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