Photo: Alexandra Nelson / iNaturalist — CC BY-NC 4.0
Threatened and Endangered Insects in Colorado
Threatened Colorado profiles 7 invertebrates. One is federally endangered: Uncompahgre Fritillary. Two are federally threatened, and the other four are proposed for federal listing, listed by Colorado or tracked as at risk.
This list includes federally listed invertebrates, invertebrates proposed for federal listing and species CPW tracks as at risk.
By Threatened Colorado , Two Colorado natives , About us
Last reviewed , Checked against USFWS sources , Sources (2)
Every threatened or endangered invertebrate profiled here is an insect: butterflies and bumble bees. Each depends on particular plants in a particular place, from prairie and wet meadows to ponderosa pine woodland, where USFWS says the Pawnee montane skipper relies on blue grama grass and prairie gayfeather. Climate change and habitat loss are the threats they share most, and several are proposed for listing or under federal review, so their status can change.
Two live nowhere but Colorado. The Uncompahgre fritillary was discovered on Uncompahgre Peak on July 30, 1978; USFWS says every known colony is tied to large patches of snow willow above 12,400 feet, and confirmed colonies have grown from two to 11. The Pawnee montane skipper lives only in dry, open ponderosa pine woodland in the South Platte River drainage, about 25,000 acres in all.
Federally endangered (1)
Federally threatened (2)
- Photo: USDA Forest Service — Public Domain
- Photo: Terry Ireland / USFWS — Public Domain
Silverspot Butterfly (Nokomis Fritillary)
Speyeria nokomis nokomis
invertebrate Wet Mountain Meadows
Proposed for federal listing (3)
- Photo: Jim Hudgins / USFWS — Public Domain
- Photo: Jill Haukos / Konza Prairie Biological Station — CC BY 4.0
- Photo: Kendra Parrish / iNaturalist — CC0
Other at-risk species (1)
- Photo: Allison Clark / iNaturalist — CC0
Native & Rare invertebrates (4)
Not listed as threatened or endangered, and not counted above: native invertebrates that are rare or show how their habitat is doing. About Native & Rare
- Photo: esuchman / iNaturalist — CC0
- Photo: Peter DeGennaro / iNaturalist — CC BY-NC 4.0
- Photo: Jared Shorma / iNaturalist — CC BY 4.0Native · SGCN Tier 2 S1
Great Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle
Cicindela theatina
invertebrate Sparsely Vegetated Sand Dunes - Photo: Joshua Smith / iNaturalist — CC0
Questions people ask
- Is Suckley's cuckoo bumble bee extinct? Suckley's Cuckoo Bumble Bee
- Where can I see an Uncompahgre fritillary? Uncompahgre Fritillary
- How can I help monarchs in my yard? Monarch Butterfly
- Would listing the regal fritillary affect ranchers? Regal Fritillary
- How do you identify a western bumble bee in Colorado? Western Bumble Bee
Where they live
- Montane Forest 5 species
- Shortgrass Prairie 4 species
- Rivers, Streams & Wetlands 2 species
- Subalpine Forest 2 species
- Alpine Tundra 1 species
- Sagebrush Shrubland 1 species
Sources (2)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pawnee montane skipper (Hesperia leonardus montana). fws.gov (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Uncompahgre fritillary butterfly (Boloria acrocnema). fws.gov (opens in a new tab)