The lost butterflies of New Mexico’s Sacramento Mountains

Abstract

In 2022, the Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas anicia cloudcrofti) was listed as Endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This decision brought renewed attention to the Sacramento Mountains of south-central New Mexico, a region distinguished both by its exceptional concentration of rare and endemic taxa and by persistent conflicts over natural resource use. The checkerspot’s long-term decline appears closely linked to these ongoing environmental pressures. Yet this subspecies represents only one of nine butterflies endemic to the range, all potentially threatened by similar factors. A review of available records reveals that, in addition to the checkerspot’s apparent disappearance, three other endemic butterflies have not been observed in over a decade: the Sacramento Mountains western green hairstreak (Callophrys affinis albipalpus), the Sacramento Mountains white-lined hairstreak (Callophrys sheridanii sacramento), and the Sacramento Mountains coral hairstreak (Satyrium titus carrizozo). Here, we compile and analyze historical records for these taxa, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted surveys, habitat assessments, and conservation planning. Our findings highlight both the limited knowledge of these narrowly distributed butterflies and the potential for further, undocumented declines within this biologically unique region.