Globally Extinct: Insects
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Version 2011.1) has listed 59 insect species as extinct since the year 1500. This page lists 65 insect species and 5 subspecies as extinct.
Photo: Male and female specimens of the extinct British Large Copper (Lycaena dispar dispar). The two shown here were collected at Holm Fen in 1840. Courtesy by Norman Day. © All rights reserved. Visit his website at: http://www.pbase.com/plusiotis/insect_freaks_and_aberrations.
Do you know any species or subspecies that should be added to this list or has been rediscoverd? If so, please contact this website.
Species
The subjoined table shows the insect species that recently became globally extinct.
| Species (65) | |||
| Scientific Name | Common Name | TSEW Status | IUCN Status |
| Acanthometropus pecatonica | Pecatonica River Mayfly | EX | EX |
| Agrotis crinigera | Poko Noctuid Moth | EX | EX |
| Agrotis fasciata | Midway Noctuid Moth | EX | EX |
| Agrotis kerri | Kerr's Noctuid Moth | EX | EX |
| Agrotis laysanensis | Laysan Noctuid Moth | EX | EX |
| Agrotis photophila | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Agrotis procellaris | Procellaris Grotis Noctuid Moth | EX | EX |
| Alloperla roberti | Robert's Stonefly | EX | EX |
| Anonconotus apenninigenus | Unknown | EX | NE |
| Argyresthia castaneela | Chestnut Ermine Moth | EX | EX |
| Campsicnemus mirabilis | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Clavicoccus erinaceus | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Coleophora leucochrysella | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Conozoa hyalina | Central Vally Grasshopper | EX | EX |
| Deloneura immaculata | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Drosophila lanaiensis | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Dryophthorus distinguendus | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Dryotribus mimeticus | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Ectodemia castaneae | American Chestnut Moth | EX | EX |
| Ectodemia phleophaga | Phleophagan Chestnut Moth | EX | EX |
| Genophantis leahi | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Glaucopsyche xerces | Xerces Blue | EX | EX |
| Helicoverpa confusa | Confused Moth | EX | EX |
| Helicoverpa minuta | Minute Noctuid Moth | EX | EX |
| Hydraena sappho | Unknown | EX | NE |
| Hydropsyche tobiasi | Tobias' Caddisfly | EX | EX |
| Hygrotus artus | Mono Lake Diving Beetle | EX | EX |
| Hypena laysanensis | Laysan Dropseed Noctuid Moth | EX | EX |
| Hypena newelli | Hilo Noctuid Moth | EX | EX |
| Hypena plagiota | Lovegrass Noctuid Moth | EX | EX |
| Hypena senicula | Kaholuamano Noctuid Moth | EX | EX |
| Karocolens tuberculatus | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Lepidochrysops hypopolia | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Levuana irridescens | Levuana Moth | EX | EX |
| Libythea cinyras | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Macrancyclus linearis | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Mecodema punctellum | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Megadytes ducalis | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Megalagrion jugorum | Jugorum Megalagrion Damsefly | EX | EX |
| Meligethes salvan | Unknown | EX | NE |
| Neduba extincta | Antioch Dunes Shieldback Katydid | EX | EX |
| Oedemasylus laysanensis | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Oemopteryx loewii | Unknown | EX | NE |
| Oeobia sp. nov. | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Pentagenia robusta | Robust Burrowing Mayfly | EX | EX |
| Pentarthrum blackburni | Blackburn's Weevil | EX | EX |
| Phyllococcus oahuensis | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Pseudoyersinia brevipennis | Unknown | EX | NE |
| Rhantus novacaledoniae | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Rhantus orbignyi | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Rhantus papuanus | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Rhyacophila amabilis | Castle Lake Caddisfly | EX | EX |
| Rhyncogonus bryani | Unknown | EX | EX |
| Scotorythra megalophylla | Kona Giant Looper Moth | EX | EX |
| Scotorythra nesiotes | Ko'olau Giant Looper Moth | EX | EX |
| Siettitia balsetensis | Perrin's Cave Beetle | EX | EX |
| Stonemyia volutina | Volutine Stoneyian Tabanid Fly | EX | EX |
| Taeniopteryx araneoides | Unknown | EX | NE |
| Tischeria perplexa | Chestnut Clearwing Moth | EX | EX |
| Triaenodes phalacris | Athens Caddisfly | EX | EX |
| Triaenodes tridonata | Three-tooth Caddisfly | EX | EX |
| Trigonoscuta rossi | Fort Ross Weevil | EX | EX |
| Trigonoscuta yorbalindae | Yorba Linda Weevil | EX | EX |
| Tritocleis microphylla | Ola'a Peppered Looper Moth | EX | EX |
Subspecies
The subjoined table shows the insect subspecies that recently became globally extinct.
| Subspecies (5) | |||
| Scientific Name | Common Name | TSEW Status | IUCN Status |
| Lycaena dispar dispar | British Large Copper | EX | NE |
| Parnassius clodius strohbeeni | Strohbeen's Parnassian | EX | NE |
| Pieris brassicae wollastoni | Madeiran Large White | EX | CR (PE) |
| Speyeria adiaste atossa | Atossa Fritillary | EX | NE |
| Zygaena purpuralis segontii | Transparent Burnet (subspecies) | EX | NE |
References
EME (2010a). California's Endangered Insects - The Graveyard - Unsilvered Fritillary. Essig Museum of Entomology, University of California, Berkeley. Downloaded on 15 August 2010 from http://essig.berkeley.edu/endins/atossa.htm.
EME (2010b). California's Endangered Insects - The Graveyard - Strohbeen's Parnassian. Essig Museum of Entomology, University of California, Berkeley. Downloaded on 15 August 2010 from http://essig.berkeley.edu/endins/pclodius.htm.
Fontaine, B. et al., (2007) The European union’s 2010 target: Putting rare species in focus. Biological Conservation 139: 167-185. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2007.06.012.
Gimenez Dixon, M. 1996. Lycaena dispar. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 15 August 2010.
IUCN (2010). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 13 November 2010.
IUCN (2011). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 June 2011.
Kimber, I. (2010). Transparent Burnet Zygaena purpuralis - UKMoths. Downloaded on 15 August 2010 from http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?bf=172.
Van Swaay, C., Wynhoff, I., Verovnik, R., Wiemers, M., López Munguira, M., Maes, D., Sasic, M., Verstrael, T., Warren, M. & Settele, J. 2009. Pieris wollastoni. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 15 August 2010.
Walker, M. (2010). 'Mythical' extinct fly rediscovered after 160 years. BBC Earth News, 17 September 2010. Downloaded on 20 September 2010 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9008000/9008585.stm .
| Citation: | Maas, P.H.J. (2011). Globally Extinct: Insects. In: TSEW (). The Sixth Extinction Website. <http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct>. Downloaded on . |
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| Updated: | 25 June 2011 |