Top 10 favorite endangered invertebrate species.

[Gloria]

While much can be done to help in the recovery of endangered species sometimes it seems a lost cause. As one species loses ground others follow in a heartbreaking cascade. I nominate the Spruce-Fir Moss spider (Microhexura montivaga) to be on the favored list. A species that is being lost for many reasons. Without a way to save the trees the moss forms beneath, that the spiders then live and reproduce within...the spider has little hope.

The Spruce-fir moss spider, Microhexura montivaga, is an endangered species of spider found at high elevations in the southern Appalachian Mountains. First identified in 1923, they inhabit moss that grows on rocks underneath the forest canopy. Wikipedia

Species Profile for Spruce-Fir Moss spider (Microhexura montivaga)

Conservation Plans
No conservation plans have been created for Spruce-Fir Moss spider
» Petitions
No petition findings have been published for the Spruce-Fir Moss spider.
» Life History
No Life History information has been entered into this system for this species.

http://www.fws.gov/asheville/pdfs/Sp...s%20Spider.pdf

The primary reason the spruce-fir moss
spider is rare is its habitat is rare. The
surviving populations of the spruce-fir
moss spider are restricted to small areas
of suitable moss mats on a few scattered
rock outcrops and boulders beneath fir
trees in the spruce-fir forests.
Destruction of the moss mats (or even a
portion of the mats) or damage to the
surrounding vegetation shading the
mats could result in the loss of the entire
population or even extinction of this
species.

In recent years, Fraser fir trees
throughout the Southern
Appalachian Mountains have
suffered extensive mortality
due to infestation by the balsam
wooly adelgid (Adelges piceae)

Furthermore, during the past century,
most of the Southern Appalachian
spruce-fir forest has suffered extensive
changes and declines in size and/or vigor
because of past logging and burning
practices, storm damage, and possibly
atmospheric pollution, climatic changes,
disease, insect damage, exposure shock,
and other factors not yet fully
understood.

[Equilibrium]

"Not generating much interest in nominating these awesome creatures am I." Well.... you got me to pull up the endangered species list and after I did that I went through each critter listed looking for what I could nominate. And... I'm reading all your links.

[NEWisc]

Originally Posted by Gloria

Not generating much interest in nominating these awesome creatures am I. Any suggestions on bringing some appeal to the quest?
...

I think TheLorax's signature line has some insight into this:

"In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; we will understand only what we have been taught."
-Baba Dioum, Senegalese ecologist

Endangered species are by definition rare, so few people have had any exposure to them. There are a few that have achieved 'poster child' status, but even the exposure to those species is often limited to a cute photo.

In my mind threads like this help to increase the exposure to endangered species, and that may help overcome the first step '... only what we have been taught'.

Now I'm not saying that those cute photo's are a bad thing ...

[Gloria]

We did pretty good with 23 species nominated for "Wildlife Gardeners Top 10 Favorite Endangered Invertebrate Species".

Beetles seem popular at WG and mussels take a surprising second.

8 beetles, 4 mussel, 3 butterflies, 2 dragonflies, 1 mayfly, 1 crawfish, 1 snail, 1 cave shrimp, 1 spider, 1 bee.

Get ready to vote for your favorites. I will start a separate voting post.

[Gloria]

The list of nominated endangered invertebrate species.

1. American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus)
2. Beaver Cave beetle (Pseudanophthalmus major)
3. Casey's June Beetle (Dinacoma caseyi)
4. Eastern Beach Tiger beetle (Cicindela dorsalis)
5. Greater Adams Cave Beetle (Pseudanophthalmus pholeter)
6. Lesser Adams Cave Beetle (Pseudanophthalmus cataryctos)
7. Mount Hermon June Beetle (Polyphylla barbata)
8. Surprising cave beetle (Pseudanophthalmus inexpectatus)


9.Carolina Heelsplitter (Lasmigona decorata)
10.Northern Riffleshell (Epioblasma torulosa rangiana)
11.Purple Cats Paw (Epioblasma obliquata ssp. obliquata)
12.Winged Maple leaf Mussel (Quadrula fragosa)

13.Karner Blue Butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis)
14.Northern Blue Butterfly (Lycaeides idas)
15.Swamp Metalmark (Calephelis mutica)

16.Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana)
17.Spatterdock Darner Dragonfly (Aeshna mutata)

18.Pecatonica River Mayfly (Acanthametropus pecatonica)

19.Nashville crayfish (Orconectes shoupi)

20.Chittenango Ovate Amber Snail (Succinea chittenangoensis)

21.Kentucky Cave Shrimp (Palaemonias ganteri)

22.Spruce-Fir Moss spider (Microhexura montivaga)

23.Franklin bumble bee (Bombus franklini)

[havalotta]

Not generating much interest in nominating these awesome creatures am I. Any suggestions on bringing some appeal to the quest?

Guess I was just too busy tending to the Spring chores outdoors to take a serious look at this Thread. (The recent Vote thread brought it back to my attention.) That... and "not knowing" just exactly what IS endangered here, (which then would have needed a bit of research done during a time when I hadn't much time) Now I wish I had......and see it's now too late to send a few your way.

They would have been real similar to what NeWisc had sent you after viewing the endangered link that had been added. The dragon and butterflies.
I went on to view every one of the plants and animals on the list as well.... I wanted to see the unseen, the rare, the near obsolete.
As NeWisc stated...."Threads like this "help" to increase the exposure to endangered species."

I see Michigans endangered plant list included the Thistle, Pitcher's (Cirsium pitcheri)
Is that why you.... Cirsium, Chose that as your user name?

[Gloria]

No reason not to continue this thread. The nominations are over but listing your findings for interesting endangered invertebrate species would be fun.
I found a really medieval looking mussel from Georgia that has these spiky looking protrusions. The Altamaha spinymussel (Elliptio spinosa) You can see a picture at the Geogia map link under "Unique to Georgia"

Endangered Species Program | Map | State

a freshwater mussel found nowhere else except in the Altamaha River drainage of southeastern Georgia. As the name implies, the shells of these animals are adorned with 1 to 5 prominent spines that start growing on a juvenile and may reach an inch or more in length by the time the individual is fully grown.

[Gloria]

havalotta, you can still vote...pick from the nominations list and/or do a write-in. It is all good!!!

[havalotta]

I see..... But at the moment, I'm unable to spend the time looking them all up. Now if there were links....It would be a lot easier to pick and choose.
During the Spring, I have LOTS to tend to out back so my time on W.G. get's a bit crunched. Right now I'm basically popping on and off as I'm able or whenever I need a break from the heat.

[Gloria]

Links for all of them huh. I have some here on the nomination thread but didn't think about how handy that would be with the list, for everyone wanting to vote.I did look them all up... Good idea, thanks. Now lets see if that can be accomplished quickly.