This Fluminense Swallowtail (above) and Southern Tailed Birdwing (below) are just two of the seven swallowtail species that the Xerces Society is working to protect from habitat loss and over-collecting. Photos by N. Mark Collins (from Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: IUCN Red Data Book (1985)).

The Center for Biological Diversity and the Xerces Society have filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in Portland, Oregon, to compel the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect seven swallowtail butterfly species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). These species are at risk of extinction because of habitat destruction and overcollecting. Because of their rarity and beauty, some of these species fetch more than $3,000 for a pair of pinned specimens. Listing these butterflies under the ESA would regulate their transport into the United States, decreasing their availability for sale. Endangered status also would require that projects managed by agencies, such as the World Bank, address the needs of these stunning swallowtails.

To read the press release about our lawsuit, please click here.

To learn more about the seven swallowtails on the lawsuit, please visit the following links:

The Harris' Mimic Swallowtail (Eurytides lysithous harrisianus) has been eliminated by habitat destruction from all but one known site in southeastern Brazil, which itself is now threatened by development.

The Fluminense Swallowtail (Parides ascanius) is jeopardized by the drainage and development of its subcoastal swamp habitat near Rio de Janeiro.

The Hahnel's Amazonian Swallowtail (Parides hahneli) is restricted to a few areas of sandy riverbank along tributaries of the Amazon in central Brazil and may be threatened by over collection.

The Jamaican kite (Eurytides marcellinus) is threatened with extinction due to its limited range, restricted distribution of its food plant, and intense agricultural development near Kingston, Jamaica.

The Southern tailed birdwing (Troides [Ornithoptera] meridionalis) is endangered by the logging of its natural habitat and the uncontrolled development of plantations in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

The Oaxacan Swallowtail (Papilio esperanza) is one of Mexico's rarest butterflies. It is known only from one site in the cloud forest of Oaxaca, Mexico, and is vulnerable to over collection.

The Kaiser-I-Hind (Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix) is a very rare, stunning swallowtail known from Nepal to southern Myanmar. It is threatened by over collecting and rapid destruction of the high elevation forests upon which it depends.

Please click here for more information about the Xerces Society's Endangered Species Program.