While the threatened Puerto Rican harlequin butterfly might be rare on the landscape in Puerto Rico, what is not rare is the growing support for its recovery. Listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has now drafted a plan to help it wing its way off the Endangered Species List.
Endemic to the northern and west-central regions of Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rican harlequin butterfly is threatened by habitat modification and fragmentation. Only six populations of the butterfly are known to exist, each generally small in size with less than 50 adults observed in any given year. The distribution of the Puerto Rican harlequin butterfly is fragmented among remnants of native forest located in the western portion of Puerto Rico. Over 41,000 acres of critical habitat were designated for the species when it was listed.
Since 2011, the Service has been working with Puerto Rican Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and other partners such as the Fort Worth Zoo, North Carolina Zoo, Para La Naturaleza, and Liga Ecol贸gica Quebradillana to locate populations of the Puerto Rican harlequin butterfly, describe its habitat, and identify threats. The Service has also been providing technical assistance on projects that may benefit the species. In 2021, the Service鈥檚 Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office coordinated and conducted the first release of captive-reared individuals of the butterfly.
Several actions have been identified in the draft plan that are necessary for the recovery of the species. The draft plan is available at the following link for public comment and review until 08/29/2025.
/program/recovery/recovery-plans
Continued efforts, such as these, will be needed to help sustain and recover this beautiful and culturally important species in Puerto Rico.
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