Tag Archives: California

Aptostichus lucerne Bond

Deadman’s Trapdoor Spider (Aptostichus lucerne)

The Deadman’s Trapdoor Spider was described in 2012 during a genus revision; it is known only from two male specimens that were collected in 1957 at a place named as Deadman’s Point in the Lucerne Valley in San Bernardino County, California, USA.

The species has never been found since the collection of the type material and is considered probably extinct. [1]

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Photo from: ‘Jason E. Bond: Phylogenetic treatment and taxonomic revision of the trapdoor spider genus Aptostichus Simon (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Euctenizidae). ZooKeys 252: 1-209. 2012’

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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References:

[1] Jason E. Bond: Phylogenetic treatment and taxonomic revision of the trapdoor spider genus Aptostichus Simon (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Euctenizidae). ZooKeys 252: 1-209. 2012

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edited: 08.08.2022

Melanoplus ligneolus Scudder

Firewood Spur-throated Grasshopper (Melanoplus ligneolus)

The Firewood Spur-throated Grasshopper was described in 1899 based on specimens that had been collected near the cities of Benicia and Berkely in Solano – and Alameda County of California / USA respectively.

The males reached sizes of about 1,7 cm long, the females were slightly larger, both sexes were yellowish light-brown colored.

The species is considered possibly extinct without any reasons for this assumption being mentioned.

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Depiction from: ‘Samuel H. Scudder: Supplement to a revision of the Melanopli. Proceedings of the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences 7: 157-205. 1899’

(public domain)

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References:

[1] Samuel H. Scudder: Supplement to a revision of the Melanopli. Proceedings of the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences 7: 157-205. 1899′

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edited: 31.08.2019

Colletes turgiventris Timberlake

Antioch Plasterer Bee (Colletes turgiventris)

The Antioch Plasterer Bee, described in 1951, is an endemic species of the Antioch Dunes near the city of Antioch in Contra-Costa County, California, USA.

The bee reaches a size of approx. 1.1 cm.

The species is probably extinct today.

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edited: 29.11.2011

Pyrgulopsis torrida Hershler, Liu, Babbitt, Kellog & Howard

Little Sycamore Pyrg (Pyrgulopsis torrida)

The Little Sycamore Pyrg was described in 2016, it had formerly been misidentified as another species, the Yaqui Pyrg (Pyrgulopsis stearnsiana (Pilsbry)).

The species was restricted to a single small, shallow stream that runs for about 1,6 km in the Little Sykcamore Canyon in Ventura Canyon, California, USA.

The shells reach sizes of about 0,28 cm in heigth. [1]

***

The Little Sycamore Pyrg was already rare in 2000, however, when the type locality was revisited in 2015, the stream was completely dry, indicating that the species had lost its only habitat and may thus be now extinct. [1]

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References:

[1] Robert Hershler; Hsiu-Ping Liu; Caitlin Babbit; Michael G. Kellog; Jeanette K. Howard: Three new species of western California springsnails previously confused with Pyrgulopsis stearnsiana (Caenogastropoda, Hydrobiidae). ZooKeys 601: 1-19. 2016

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Photo from: ‘Robert Hershler; Hsiu-Ping Liu; Caitlin Babbit; Michael G. Kellog; Jeanette K. Howard: Three new species of western California springsnails previously confused with Pyrgulopsis stearnsiana (Caenogastropoda, Hydrobiidae). ZooKeys 601: 1-19. 2016’

(under creative commons license (4.0))
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

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edited: 18.05.2022

Phacelia amabilis Constances

Saline Valley Phacelia (Phacelia amabilis)

The Saline Valley Phacelia was discovered in 1942 in the Saline Valley in the Inyo County of California, USA and was never found again since, it is thus declared possibly extinct.

It may, however, just have been a color variant of another species, the Notch-leaved Phacelia (Phacelia crenulata Torr. ex S.Watson).

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Depiction from: ‘Le Roy Abrams: An illustrated flora of the Pacific States: Washington, Oregon, and California. Stanford University, Stanford University Press 1923-60’

(no known copyright restrictions)

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edited: 09.11.2021

Melanoplus nanus Scudder

Small Spur-throat Grasshopper (Melanoplus nanus)

The Small Spur-throat Grasshopper was described in 1898, it was apparently only found in few places in the Alameda – , the Marin – , and the San Mateo Counties in California, USA.

The species inhabited dry grassy hillsides.

The males reached sizes of about 1,4 cm, the females were slightly larger, both sexes were fuscous light-brown colored.

The Small Spur-throat Grasshopper is now considered possibly extinct, however, reasons for this assumption are not given.

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References:

[1] Samuel H. Scudder: Supplement to a revision of the Melanopli. Proceedings of the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences 7: 157-205. 1899

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Depiction from: ‘Samuel H. Scudder: Supplement to a revision of the Melanopli. Proceedings of the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences 7: 157-205. 1899’

(public domain)

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edited: 31.08.2019

Cyprinodon nevadensis ssp. calidae Miller

Tecopa Pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis ssp. calidae)

The Tecopa Pupfish was described in 1948, it was restricted to some outlets of the North- and South Tecopa Hot Springs in Inyo County, California, USA.

The two hot springs that this fish inhabited were very popular in the 1950s and 60s and were used for recreationally purposes; bathhouses were built, the spring pools were enlarged and their outflows were diverted which resulted in swifter currents which again caused the water temperatures downstream to rise above the level to which this pupfish was adapted.

All these modifications also allowed a subspecies closely related to this form, the Amargosa River Pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis ssp. armagosae Miller), to invade the Tecopa Pupfish’s habitat and to hybridize with it. 

The last presumed Tecopa Pupfishs were recorded in 1966, but these, having ‘too small’ scales, may already have been hybrids.

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edited: 27.05.2019

Cryptantha hooveri I. M. Johnson

Hoover’s Cryptantha (Cryptantha hooveri)

Hoover’s Cryptantha was an annual, 5 to 20 cm tall plantlet with simple or branched stems and linear leaves that inhabited grassland communities on sandy soil.

***

Hoover’s Cryptantha was last recorded in 1939 and may be extinct, however, the species is said to be hard to identify, so there’s some hope that it may still exist but may just have been overlooked so far.

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edited: 05.12.2018

Ciconia maltha Miller

La Brea Stork (Ciconia maltha)

The La Brea Stork was described in 1910, originally based on fossil bones that were recovered from the rich La Brea Tar Pits in California, USA; however, the species was for more widespread and is now known to also have occurred in other parts of what today is the USA.

The species already appears in Late Pliocene deposits and disappeared at the end of the Pleistocene, but the population that inhabited the island of Cuba apparently survived well into the Holocene era and may even have been eradicated by the first human settlers.

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edited: 19.8.2022

Conozoa hyalina (McNeill)

Central Valley Grasshopper (Conozoa hyalina)

The Central Valley Grasshopper was described in 1901; it is known from only four areas in the Central Valley in California, USA.

Robust, pale testaceous, almost plain, with a few scattered spots in the middle of the tegmina occupying the usual position of the fuscous bands; anterior and posterior fields plain except for exceedingly faint spots near the base.

Length of body, female, 30 mm.; length of tegmina, 30 mm.; length of posterior femora, 18 mm.

….” [1]

The species has not been found since 1953 and is believed to be extinct.

***

syn. Trimerotropis hyalina McNeill

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References:

[1] Jerome McNeill: Revision of the orthopteran genus Trimerotropis. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 23(1215): 393-449. 1901

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edited: 19.08.2022

Monardella pringlei A. Gray

Pringle’s Monardella (Monardella pringlei)  

Pringle’s Monardella apparently was restricted to a small area of sandy hills near the city of Colton in San Bernardino County in California, USA.

The locality is now mostly destroyed by urbanization, the species was last seen in 1941 and is now considered most likely extinct.

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Depiction from: ‘Le Roy Abrams: An illustrated flora of the Pacific States: Washington, Oregon, and California. Stanford University, Stanford University Press 1923-60’  

(no known copyright restrictions) 

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edited: 20.09.2020

Diplacus traskiae (A. L. Grant) G. L. Nesom

Santa Catalina Monkeyflower (Diplacus traskiae)

The Santa Catalina Monkeyflower is apparently known exclusively from the type material that was collected in 1901 or 1904 (depending on the source); the species was restricted to Santa Catalina Island in the Channel Islands group offshore the Pacific coast of California, USA.

The species presumably disappeared due to grazing by introduced ungulates and is now considered extinct.

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edited: 25.04.2021

Perdita hirticeps ssp. luteocincta Timberlake

Yellow-banded Miner Bee (Perdita hirticeps ssp. luteocincta)

The Yellow-banded Miner Bee was described in 1960, it restricted to the dunes of what today is the Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge, a part of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex in California, USA.

The taxon reached a length of about 0,5 cm; its head and thorax were glossy black, the abdomen was blackish brown with light yellow horizontal stripes.

The Yellow-banded Miner Bee is now possibly extinct.

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edited: 09.11.2021

Perognathus alticolus ssp. alticolus Rhoads

White-eared Pocket Mouse (Perognathus alticolus ssp. alticolus)

The White-eared Pocket Mouse was described in 1894; the species, which is split into two subspecies, is apparently restricted to the San Bernardino- and Tehachapi Mountains in California, USA.

The species, together with two additional closely related ones, is considered a Pleistocene relict.

The nominate race was restricted to a small area of around 4 km²  at Strawberry Peak and Squirrel Inn in the San Bernardino Mountains, where it was recorded between 1920 and 1933; it was not found since and is thus believed to be extinct. [1]

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References:

[1] Philip V. Brylski: White-eared Pocket Mouse, Perognathus alticola alticola. Terrestrial Mammal Species of Special Concern in California, Bolster, B. C., Ed., 1998. 102-104

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edited: 09.11.2021

Dysticheus rotundicollis Van Dyke

Antioch Weevil (Dysticheus rotundicollis)  

The Antioch Weevil, which was described in 1953, is an endemic species of the Antioch dunes near the city of Antioch in Contra-Costa County, California, USA.  The species is considered lost, perhaps extinct.  

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edited: 23.03.2018

Banksula californica Banks

Alabaster Cave Harvestman (Banksula californica)

The Alabaster Cave Harvestman was described in 1900; it is known only from a cave named Alabaster Cave in the El Dorado County of California, USA.

The species reached a body length of only about 0,2 cm, it also had quite short legs for a harvestman.

The only known locality has been destroyed by mining and has furthermore be sealed by concrete, thus making surveying impossible; the species might still be around but is, however, considered likely extinct.

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edited: 16.05.2022

Plagiobothrys mollis var. vestitus (Greene) I. M. Johnston

Petaluma Allocarya (Plagiobothrys mollis var. vestitus)

The Petaluma Allocarya, also known as Petaluma Popcornflower, was described in 1923; it is only known from the type material that was collected in or near the city of Petaluma in Sonoma County of California, USA.

The taxon has never been recorded since its description and is presumed extint.

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nominate form

Depiction from: ‘Le Roy Abrams: An illustrated flora of the Pacific States: Washington, Oregon, and California. Stanford University, Stanford University Press 1923-60’   

(no known copyright restrictions)

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edited: 27.02.2024

Caracara prelutosa (Howard)

La Brea Caracara (Caracara prelutosa)  

The La Brea Caracara is known from fossils found in the famous La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California, USA.

The fossils from that site date to the Late Pleistocene/Earliest Holocene, thus this species will shortly be mentioned here.

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edited: 21.09.2020

Vorticifex solida (Dall)

Solid Ramshorn (Vorticifex solida)

The Solid Ramshorn was apparently described based on fossil- or subfossil shells, however, it appears to have survived until recently at least at one site: Lake Tahoe which is situated on the state line between California and Nevada, USA.

The status of the taxon appears to be completely unknown, it might be extinct or it might still be alive; it might furthermore be identical with another species, the Artemesian Ramshorn (Vorticifex effusa (I. Lea)) anyway.

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edited: 22.01.2022

Speyeria adiaste ssp. atossa (W. H. Edwards)

Atossa Fritillary (Speyeria adiaste ssp. atossa)  

The Atossa Fritillary, also known as the Unsilvered Fritillary, was described in 1890, originally as a full species, it was restricted to an area approximately at the borders between the three counties of Kern, Los Angeles and Ventura in southern California, USA.   

The adult butterflies were found in open canyons wherever water was present, they were attracted by many wildflowers, but seemed to have had a special preference for the flowers of the California Buckeye (Aesculus californica (Spach) Nutt.). The larval food plant was a violet species, yet the exact species was apparently never properly recorded but is suspected to might have been the Oakwoods Violet (Viola purpurea ssp. quercetorum (M. S. Baker & J. C. Clausen) R. J. Little).  

The Atossa Fritillary was last recorded in 1959 when two specimens were collected, respectively in 1960 when a last individual was spotted on the peak of Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest on the boundary between Kern – and Ventura counties.   

There have been many field searches since the last sightings, yet all of them were unsuccessful, the Atossa Fritillary is extinct. [1]  

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References:  

[1] Larry J. Orsak: Project Atossa – Preliminary report. Atala 2(2): 5-8. 1974  

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males on the right and in the middle, female on the right  

Depiction from: ‘Willian H. Edwards: The Butterflies of North America. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin 1884-88’  

(not in copyright)

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edited: 13.09.2019

Icaricia saepiolus ssp. aureolus (Emmel, Emmel & Matoon)

Golden Greenish Blue (Icaricia saepiolus ssp. aureolus)

This taxon, described in 1998, was restricted to a wet meadow near the Big Pines Ranger station in Big Pines in the San Gabriel Mountains in the Los Angeles County of California, USA.

The Golden Greenish Blue differs from other subspecies by the extensive golden orange scaling on the dorsal surface of the females.

The sole known population disappeared due to development at its only known colony site.

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Grenish Blue (Icaricia saepilous); undefined subspecies

Photo: Cin-Ty Lee
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/cintylee
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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References:

[1] Ken Davenport: Lepidoptera of North America 15: Butterflies of southern California in 2018: updating Emmel and Emmel’s 1973 Buterflis of southern California. Contributions of the C. P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity, Colorado State University 2018

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edited: 02.02.2024

Monardella leucocephala A. Gray

Merced Monardella (Monardella leucocephala 

The Merced Monardella, one of about 30 species in its genus, was restricted to grassland along the Merced- and the Tuolumne rivers in the counties of Merced and Stanislaus in California, USA.  

The former habitat of this species has largely been converted into agricultural areas, particularly into almond orchards – which today cover vast areas of California.  

The last plants were found in the year 1941 and the species is now considered extinct.  

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Depiction from: ‘Le Roy Abrams: An illustrated flora of the Pacific States: Washington, Oregon, and California. Stanford University, Stanford University Press 1923-60’  

(no known copyright restrictions)

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edited: 20.09.2020

Paraleptophlebia placeri Mayo

Placer’s Prong-gilled Mayfly (Paraleptophlebia placeri)  

This species was described in 1939.  

The species appears to have been quite widespread, it was originally found in at least three sites: Amador Creek, Dry Creek, Grass Valley Creek, and Jackson Creek in the Amador County, but was also found in other areas including Alameda County, El Dorado County, Marin County, Mariposa County, and Shasta County in California, Benton County, Josephine County, Lincoln County, and Union County in Oregon, as well as Grays Harbor County in Washington.  

The youngest specimens date to 1977, younger collections are not known, and it is possible that this species is already extinct.  

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edited: 31.10.2017

Peromyscus nesodytes Wilson

Giant Island Deermouse (Peromyscus nesodytes)

The Giant Island Deermouse was described in 1936 based on subfossil remains, the species was restricted to San Miguel – and Santa Rosa Islands, two of the Channel Islands offshore southwestern California, USA.

The species is believed to have disappeared sometimes between 2000 years ago and 1860, probably due to the accidental introduction of the North American Deermouse (Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner)) by the Chumash, the native people of that region. 

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edited: 23.01.2020

Neduba extincta Rentz

Antioch Shieldback Katydid (Neduba extincta)  

The Antioch Shieldback Katydid is known from only a single male specimen, which was collected in the year 1937 in the Antioch Dunes in the San Francisco Bay Delta in the Californian Contra Costa County.  

Yet the species was described only in the year 1977, forty years after the only known specimen was collected.  

The habitat of this species, the Antioch Dunes, are an only about 28,3 ha large area, which was heavily damaged by urbanization, industrialization, sand mining, agricultural land conversion but also by driving off-road vehicles, uncontrolled fires and other human impacts, but which is now mostly under conservation.  

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References:  

[1] D. C. F. Rentz: A new and apparently extinct katydid from Antioch Sand Dunes (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae). Entomol. News 88: 241-245. 1977

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edited: 21.09.2020

Cophura hurdi Hull

Antioch Robber Fly (Cophura hurdi)

The Antioch Robber Fly was described in 1960, it is obviously known only from a single specimen that had been collected in 1939 in the Antioch Dunes in Conta Costa County, California, USA.

The species reached a size of about 0,7 cm and was pale brown. [1]

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References:

[1] Frank M. Hull: New species of Syrphidae and Asilidae (Diptera). The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 36(2): 69-74. 1960

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edited: 21.01.2019

Erigeron mariposanus Congdon

Foothill Fleabane (Erigeron mariposanus)  

The Foothill Fleabane is known only from material that was collected during the years 1892 to 1900, somewhere at the foothills of the central Sierra Nevada Mountains in Mariposa County of California, USA.  

The species was for some time treated as a synonym of Hartweg’s Fleabane (Erigeron foliosus var. hartwegii (E. Greene) Jepson), from which, however, it differs markedly.  

The Foothill Fleabane is thought to be extinct, the reasons for this, however, appear to unknown. [1]  

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References:  

[1] Guy L. Nesom: Revision of Erigeron sect. Linearifolii (Asteraceae: Astereae). Phytologia 72 (3): 157-208. 1992  

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edited: 09.09.2019

Potentilla multijuga Lehm.

Ballona Cinquefoil (Potentilla multijuga)  

The Ballona Cinquefoil, sometimes also named the Lost Cinquefoil, was described in 1849, it was collected somewhere in or near the city Los Angeles, Califonia, USA but was obviously never found again since.

Some botanists considered this form a misidentified Wedgeleaf Horkelia (Horkelia cuneata Lindl.), whose leaves are almost identical, however, it appears to be indeed a distinct taxon and is now apparently extinct.

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References:  

[1] Per Axel Rydberg: A monograph of the North American Potentilleae. Lancaster, Pa., Press of the New Era Print. Co. 1898.

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Depiction from: ‘Per Axel Rydberg: A monograph of the North American Potentilleae. Lancaster, Pa., Press of the New Era Print. Co. 1898.’

(public domain)

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edited: 20.09.2020

Paraleptophlebia californica Traver

Californian Prong-gilled Mayfly (Paraleptophlebia californica 

This species was described in 1934.  

The Californian Prong-gilled Mayfly was endemic to California, USA, where it was originally found in the Waddell Creek in Santa Cruz County. It was subsequently (in 1968) found near the Anderson Fork, a stream north of the city of Chico in Butte County.  

The species was never found since and is considered most likely extinct.  

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edited: 31.10.2017

Colpocephalum californici Price & Beer

California Condor Louse (Colpocephalum californici)

The California Condor Louse was a feather parasite of the California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus(Shaw)) that was actually harmless to its host.

The California Condor went extinct in the wild, when in the 1980s all remining individuals were brought into captivity for a breeding program with the intention to save the species from complete extinction. All birds were treated with a pesticide to kill their lice and other possible parasites (actually for no good reason since these parasitic species evolved together with – and usually did no harm to their hosts), this led to the complete extinction of this louse species.

It is possible that the Californian Condors, which now are roaming their home land as free birds again, will sooner or later be affected by new, generalist parasitic louse species that then in fact could cause worse health impacts on them.

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edited: 23.04.2022

Plagiobothrys lithocaryus (Greene ex Gray) I. M. Johnston

Mayacamas Allocarya (Plagiobothrys lithocaryus)

The Mayacamas Allocarya, also known as Mayacamas Popcorflower, was described in 1923; it is known from only two collections from the late 1800s

The species inhabited moist sites in the valleys of the Mayacamas Mountains in north-western California, USA

The Mayacamas Allocarya has never been found since and is believed to be extinct.

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Depiction from: ‘Le Roy Abrams: An illustrated flora of the Pacific States: Washington, Oregon, and California. Stanford University, Stanford University Press 1923-60’  

(no known copyright restrictions)

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edited: 27.02.2024

Plebejus idas ssp. lotis Lintner

Lotis Blue (Plebejus idas ssp. lotis)

The Lotis Blue is a subspecies of the Idas Blue (Plebejus idas (L.)), a species that is actually quite widespread in the northern hemisphere including the Nearctic- as well as the Palearctic regions; this subspecies, however, was restricted to a small area in the Mendocino County of California, USA.

This form was not seen since 1994 and might now well be completely extinct.

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Photo: Asa Spade

(under creative commons license (4.0))
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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edited: 23.04.2022

Icaricia icarioides ssp. pheres (Boisduval) 

Pheres Blue (Icaricia icarioides ssp. pheres)

Boisduval’s Blue (Icaricia icarioides (Boisduval)) was described in 1852; the species is currently split into about 17 subspecies which are distributed nearly all over North America, several of them being highly endangered.  

The photo below shows one of these endangered subspecies, the Mission Blue (Icaricia icarioides ssp. missionensis (Hovanitz)), a form that is highly restricted to a few localities in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.  

The caterpillars of all subspecies feed on various lupine species (Lupinus spp.).  

***

The Pheres Blue was restricted to sand dunes which once dominated much of what is now the city of San Francisco in Marin County, California.  

The habitat of this local endemic was destroyed due to urban development, and the last Pheres Blues were finally seen in 1974 (?). [2] 

***

A population of Boisduval’s Blue, morphologically close to the Pheres Blue, yet most probably not identically with it, was found in 1974 on the dunes at Point Reyes in Marin County, California. (see: Robert L. Langston: Extended flight periods of coastal and dune butterflies in California. Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 13: 83-98. 1974). [1]

***

syn. Aricia icarioides ssp. pheres (Boisduval), Cupido pheres Boisduval, Icaricia pheres (Boisduval), Lycaena pheres (Boisduval), Plebejus icarioides ssp. pheres (Boisduval), Plebejus pheres (Boisduval)

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Mission Blue (Icaricia icarioides ssp. missionensis); male  

Photo: Patrick Kobernus; National Digital Library of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service  
(public domain)

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References:  

[1] Robert L. Langston: Extended flight periods of coastal and dune butterflies in California. Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 13: 83-98. 1974 
[2] Edward F. Connor; John Hefernik; Jacqueline Levy; Vicki Lee Moore; Jancy K. Rickman: Insect conservation in an urban biodiversity hotspot: The San Francisco Bay Area. Journal of Insect Conservation 6: 247-259. 2002  

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edited: 02.02.2024

Rhyacophila amabilis Denning

Castle Lake Rhyacophilan Caddisfly (Rhyacophila amabilis)  

The Castle Lake Rhyacophilan Caddisfly, as its name implies, was restricted to the Castle Lake in Siskiyou County in California, USA.  

The species was described in 1965, but may have already been extinct at that date.  

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edited: 16.04.2019

Bombus franklini (Frison)

Franklin’s Bumblebee (Bombus franklini)

Franklin’s Bumblebee is, or perhaps was, one of the most narrowly distributed bumblebee species of the world, it is known only from a small area between the coast and the Sierra-Cascade Mountains in northern California and southern Oregon, USA.

The species was last seen in 2006 at Mt. Ashland in Oregon and is now most likely extinct.

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Photo: James P. Strange

(public domain)

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edited: 25.04.2022

Chlosyne leanira ssp. obsoleta (Edwards)

Obsolete Checkerspot (Chlosyne leanira ssp. obsoleta)

The Leanira Checkerspot (Chlosyne leanira (C. & R. Felder)) is a species of butterfly that occurs with at least eleven subspecies over the southern parts of North America including Mexico and parts of the USA.

At least one of these subspecies, the obsolete Checkerspot, is now apparently extinct, it was restricted to a small area in California and was last seen sometimes prior 1956.

The photo below shows an individual of another Californian subspecies, Wright’s Checkerspot (Chlosyne leanira ssp. wrightii (W. H. Edwards)).

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Wright’s Checkerspot (Chlosyne leanira ssp. wrightii)

Photo: James Bailey
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/silversea_starsong

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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edited: 11.08.2022

Speyeria zerene ssp. myrtleae dos Passos & Grey

Myrtle’s Fritillary (Speyeria zerene ssp. myrtleae)

Myrtle’s Fritillary, also known Myrtle’s Silverspot, a subspecies of the Zerene Fritillary (Speyeria zereneSwainson) (see photo), was described in 1945, it was restricted to Pescadero Point in San Mateo County in California, USA.

The larvae are known to have fed on the Hookedspur Violet (Viola adunca Sm.).

Myrtle’s Fritillary was apparently last recorded around 1919 and is now considered extinct.

***

The taxonomic situation of this form, however, is not finally solved and thus it might be identical with another form, the Point Reyes Fritillary (Speyeria zerene ssp. puntareyes Emmel & Emmel), which is restricted to the southernmost Sonoma County of california, and which itself is highly threatened.

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Zerene Fritillary (Speyeria zerene Swainson); nominate form

Depiction from: ‘Willian H. Edwards: The Butterflies of North America. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin 1884-88’   

(not in copyright)

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edited: 03.10.2020

Cirsium praeteriens J. F. Macbr.

Palo Alto Thistle (Cirsium praeteriens)

The Palo Alto Thistle was described in 1918, it is known only from two collections from 1897 and 1901 respectively.

The species resembles the probably closely related Franciscan Thistle (Cirsium andrewsii (A. Gray) Petr.) but differs from that species in having long involucral spines.

The Palo Alto Thistle was not found since the beginning of the 20th century and is considered extinct.

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edited: 14.01.2019

Autoplusia olivacea (Skinner)

Olive-colored Owlet Moth (Autoplusia olivacea)

The Olive-colored Owlet Moth is only known from eight specimens, some of which were collected in 1916 in Los Angeles and some a little later in Pasadena, California.  

The species reached a wingspan of 3.9 cm.  

As far as is known, the caterpillars fed on Large-leaved Ragwort (Senecio grandifolius Less.), but probably also on other species.  

The species has not been recorded since the beginning of the 20th century and is believed to be probably extinct – but its name is apparently still incorrectly used for another, common species of the same genus, the real name of which is Autoplusia egenoides Franclemont & Todd.

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edited: 02.05.2021

Onthophagus everestae Pierce

Tar Pit Scarab (Onthophagus everestae)

The Tar Pit Scarab was described in 1946; it is known only based on subfossil remains that were found in the Late Pleistocene La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles, California, USA; its closest living relatives can be found today in Arizona, USA and in Mexico, for example the Scooped Scarab (Onthophagus hecate (Panzer)) (see photo).

The beetle vanished from California along with the disappearance of its food source, the dung of large plant-eating mammals, which again died out due to the drying of the climate at the border of the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene

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References:

[1] Arthur V. Evans; James N. Hogue: Introduction to California beetles. University of California Press 2004

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Scooped Scarab (Onthophagus hecate)

Photo: Brett Jackson
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/brettjackson

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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edited: 07.08.2022

Potentilla uliginosa B. C. Johnst. & Ertter

Cunningham Marsh Cinquefoil (Potentilla uliginosa 

The Cunningham Marsh Cinquefoil, formerly included in another species, Hickman’s Cinquefoil (Potentilla hickmanii Eastw.) (see photo), was described as a distinct species only in 2010.

This species was apparently restricted to Cunningham Marsh in Sonoma County, California, USA but appears to be extinct now. [1]

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References:  

[1] Barry C. Johnston; Barbara Ertter: Potentilla uliginosa (Rosaceae: Rosoideae) a new presumed extinct species from Sonoma County, California. Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 4(1): 13-18. 2010

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Hickman’s Cinquefoil (Potentilla hickmanii Eastw.)

Photo: John Game

(under creative commons license (2.0))
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0

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edited: 20.09.2020

Cicindela hirticollis ssp. abrupta Casey

Sacramento Valley Hairy-necked Tiger Beetle (Cicindela hirticollis ssp. abrupta)

The Sacramento Valley Hairy-necked Tiger Beetle was described in 1913, it was last recorded in 1984 and is considered extinct, mainly based on extensive statut surveys of all historically known sites and all apparently suitable habitat.

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Hairy-necked Tiger Beetle (Cicindela hirticollis Say); nominate race

Photo from: ‘Victor E. Shelford: Animal Communities in temperate America as illustrated in the Chigaco region; a study in animal ecology. The Geographic Society of Chicago Bulletin 5: 1-362. 1913’

(public domain)

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edited: 07.05.2019

Rubus vitifolius var. eastwoodianus (Rydb.) Munz

Eastwood’s Dewberry (Rubus vitifolius var. eastwoodianus)

Eastwood’s Dewberry is known only from the type collected on Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, California, USA.

Its exact taxonomic status is somewhat in doubt since it is treated as a distinct species by some botanists while it is included as a synonym in an expanded concept of the Pacific Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus Cham. & Schldl.) (see photo) by others. 

Whatever ist taxonomical position may be, Eastwood’s Dewberry appears to be extinct.

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Pacific Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus Cham. & Schldl.)

Photo: Leslie Seaton

(under creative commons license (2.90))
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0

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edited: 25.11.2018

Philotes sonorensis ssp. extinctis Mattoni

Disappeared Sonoran Blue (Philotes sonorensis ssp. extinctis 

The Sonoran Blue (Philotes sonorensis (C. Felder & R. Felder)) is distributed from Colorado and California, USA southward to parts of Mexico.  

The caterpillars of this species feed on the leaves of various Dudleya species, including Dudleya cymosa (Lem.) Britton & Rose, Dudleya lanceolata (Nutt.) Britt. & Rose, and Dudleya saxosa (M. E. Jones) Britt. & Rose.  

***

The Disappeared Sonoran Blue occurred in a small area at the San Gabriel River in southern California, and disappeared in 1967 or 1968 after the destruction of its habitat due to an engineering program for water diversion – it was recognized as a distinct subspecies (the only other subspecies aside from the nominate race) only several years after its extinction.  

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References:  

[1] Rudolf H. T. Mattoni: An unrecognized, now extinct, Los Angeles area butterfly (Lycaenidae). Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 28(4): 297-309. 1989(91)  

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Depiction from: ‘Reise der österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859 unter den Befehlen des Commodore B. von Wüllerstorf-Urbair. Wien, aus der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Hof- und Staatsdruckerei 1861-1875’ 

(public domain)

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edited: 01.11.2020

Calochortus monanthus Ownbey

Single-flowered Mariposa Lily (Calochortus monanthus)

The Single-flowered Mariposa Lily, also known as the Shasta River Mariposa Lily, is known only from the type that was found in 1876 along the Shasta River in Sisiyou County, California, USA.

As its name implies, the species beared a single flower that was pinkish white with chevron-shaped dark red spots above each of the nectar-secreting glands.

There were attempts to relocated the species in 1990, but these were unsuccessful, it is now considered extinct.

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edited: 03.12.2018

Paraleptophlebia clara (McDunnough)

Santa Clara Prong-gilled Mayfly (Paraleptophlebia clara)  

This species was described in 1933.  

The species was known from two locations only, one near the city of Los Gatos in the Santa Clara County, the other one in the Waddell Creek in the Santa Cruz County, both in California, USA.  

The Santa Clara Prong-gilled Mayfly was not found during recent searches and is most likely extinct now.  

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edited: 31.10.2017