A species that makes its home in New Mexico has flown its way onto the Endangered Species list

Feb. 16—A butterfly native to Northern New Mexico is considered threatened.

A silverspot butterfly subspecies found in New Mexico will have protection from the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that the butterfly would be listed as a threatened species, which means it is likely to be in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future.

The species is threatened because of habitat loss and fragmentation, the agency says, and so the rule will go into effect March 18.

Being added as a threatened species will make conservation work for the butterfly eligible for more funding, said Terry Ireland, a Fish and Wildlife biologist.

Fish and Wildlife did not designate critical habitat — an area where the silverspot lives that would be protected — for the butterfly because of the threat of unauthorized butterfly collection and trade.

“The butterfly occurs in pretty small, discreet areas, and there has been a number of cases over the years of people trading in rare butterflies, and so we didn’t want to point out where these locations were to any illicit butterfly collectors,” said Ireland.

At least one expert on silverspot butterflies believed that one of the silverspot colonies was lost because of overcollecting, Ireland said.

The silverspot butterfly gets its name from the silver-white spots on the underside of its wings, which span up to three inches. Male silverspots typically have bright orange decorating the topside of their wings, and females typically have cream or light-yellow coloring with brown or black.

The silverspot butterfly subspecies that is considered threatened lives in 10 population groups in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. The New Mexico populations are in the San Miguel, Mora and Taos areas.

Two colonies north of Durango, Colorado, were destroyed after losing habitat to golf course and housing development, according to the final rule published by Fish and Wildlife. Housing development also might have contributed to the loss of a colony in Beulah, New Mexico.

Silverspot butterflies need a moist environment and live in open meadows with vegetation for shelter. They live in elevations between 5,200 and 8,300 feet.

The butterflies lay eggs in September. Larvae hatch within two weeks and, after feeding, stay dormant until May. The larvae undergo metamorphosis into butterflies after July — only spending roughly 45 days as adult butterflies. The silverspot depends on the bog violet to feed its larvae.

The nonprofit WildEarth Guardians petitioned to list the butterfly under the Endangered Species Act in 2013.

“Pollinators, like butterflies, are key links in the health of our outdoors and food supply,” said Lindsay Larris, Wildlife Program Director for WildEarth Guardians. “They are also some of the most beautiful, inspiring species on the planet, and threats to their survival should be taken seriously. While we continue to believe that the silverspot butterfly is at great risk of extinction due to climate change and other threats, and should be listed as “endangered,” we are glad to see the species finally receive the “threatened” designation, granting some necessary Endangered Species Act protections to this important species.”