TABLE OF CONTENTS Cape Bluet Damselfly 4 Northeastern Beach Tiger Beetle 6 Middle Island Tusked Weta 8 Karner Blue Butterfly 10 American Burying Beetle 12 Field Cricket 14 Lord Howe Island Stick Insect 16 Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly 18 Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly 20 Streaked Bombardier Beetle 22 Heath Fritillary Butterfly 24 Atala Butterfly 26 Fact Sheet 28 Glossary 30 For More Information 31 Index 32 About the Author 32
1 RENEWED WATER SOURCES HELP CAPE BLUET DAMSELFLY Cape bluet damselflies may look fragile but they are hunters These insects eat any kind of prey they can catch and digest Their legs form a basket that can scoop other insects right out of the air But a water shortage in South Africa threatened their survival The damselflies lived near streams and other wetlands in South Africa Cape bluet damselflies are recognizable by their purplish color 4
IUCN RED LIST The International Union for the Conservation of Nature IUCN keeps a list of all threatened species in the world called the Red List Each species is labeled according to how at risk it is Least Concern Not considered at risk Near Threatened At risk of being vulnerable or endangered in the future Vulnerable At risk of extinction Endangered At high risk of extinction Critically Endangered At extremely high risk of extinction Extinct in the Wild Only lives in captivity Extinct No members of a species are left They laid their eggs in the water Their larvae grew there too But humans in the area also needed water The government used canals to move the water to areas where people needed it Farmers planted trees that also used a lot of water The streams began drying up The cape bluet damselfly was last seen in 1962 Scientists thought the species was extinct The South African government decided to do something about the water shortage It partnered with communities to clear away plants and trees that had been using up the water The streams returned Sunlight could reach the pools and water plants grew again In 2003 people started seeing the damselflies again Scientists do not know where they had been hiding all those years but they were not extinct after all 41 Years the cape bluet damselfly survived without being seen Status Critically endangered Population Fewer than 50 Home South Africa Life Span Unknown 5
