Conservation of the Puerto Rican Harlequin butterfly
Our USFWS Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office coordinated and conducted the first release of captive-reared Puerto Rican harlequin butterflies! This butterfly is an imperiled species and is currently proposed as a threatened species under the ESA.
Fifty-one butterflies in different life cycle stages (11 adults, 34 chrysalids and 6 caterpillars) were released into their natural habitat in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico.
The release was part of a study conducted by the Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales and the Forth Worth Zoo to increase our knowledge on the species’ life cycle. Students and volunteers from the Universidad de Puerto Rico - UPR also participated in the event.
Learn more about the Puerto Rican harlequin butterfly http://ow.ly/eVzg50GAB1Y.
Photograph by USFWS