U.S. Fish and Wildlife Identify Arkansas Moth as Potential Candidate For Endangered or Threatened Species Lists

In its annual publication listing potential candidates for placement on the Endangered or Threatened Species lists, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service identified the rattlesnake-master borer moth as one of several species that face threats to their survival.  The moth's only food source is the rattlesnake master, which grows in the rocky woods and prairies of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Kansas, and Missouri.  The rattlesnake-master borer moth is a univoltine species, meaning that it only takes one flight per year, and this trait makes them particularly sensitive to fire. The moth has a relatively low listing priority number (8 on a scale of 1 to 12, with 1 being the highest and most in need of protection).  The public is invited to comment on the moth's potential listing.

This latest proposed listing is no guarantee that the moth will make it onto either the Endangered or Threatened Species lists.  Fish and Wildlife had previously proposed that the Arkansas darter, a fish found in the Illinois River in Washington and Benton counties, be added to the lists a year ago, but the agency decided against listing the fish in October 2016 due to sizeable populations in Arkansas and other states.  Moreover, the rattlesnake-master borer moth had previously been identified by Fish and Wildlife as a potential candidate, only for the idea to be shelved in 2013 due to limited resources.