Mexican Bluewing, etc headed for endangered list?

[multicaudata]

Hi. Thanks everyone for your advice on my rotting Papilio specimen.

After visiting Florida, I was thinking about the laws regarding Miami Blue and Schaus's Swallowtail, both of which are found not only in Florida but throughout the Caribbean. So, they're not globally endangered, even though their US populations are. They're on the US endangered list simply because their range in this country is restricted.

If these species are on the endangered list, it seems like only a matter of time before the Texas specialties -- things like Ruby-spotted Swallowtail, Marius Hairstreak, and Mexican Bluewing -- are put on the list as well. Is that likely to happen soon?

[jshuey]

probably not. The ESA can list species and subspecies that are declining in significant parts o their ranges. So, Florida populations, because of their isolation from other pops, are listed because of the significance of their ranges. South Texas pops are generally extensions of widespread Mexican pops, an would be harder to list as "significant".

for example, here in Indiana, as small segregate of populations of the copperbelly water snake is Federally threatened, because of their location in just a small part of Indiana and adjacent Ohio and Michigan. 100 miles away, in southern Indiana and adjacent Kentucky and Illinois, the snake is not protected and doing quite well.

shuey