In the 2012 President's Budget Request, the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) is terminated. As a result, all resources, databases, tools, and applications within this web site will be removed on January 15, 2012. For more information, please refer to the NBII Program Termination page.
Butterflies and moths are important pollinators. However, many species of butterflies and moths have been declining, partially due to loss of migratory and nectar corridors. Over 200 species of butterflies and moths undergo some type of migration, and the loss of appropriate habitat the distance of the migration routes has led to declining populations. Attempts to reverse this trend are being made by local jurisdictions, conservation organizations, and federal agencies.
Compared to bees, butterflies and moths are often less efficient at transferring pollen between plants because frequently pollen does not stick to their bodies and they lack specialized structures for collecting pollen. Butterflies and moths probe for nectar and prefer flat clustered flowers that they can use as a landing pad.
Latest Enhancements to Butterfly and Moth Site Net Solid Gains for USGS
With the new butterfly and moth season poised to begin,
Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) recently launched its re-tooled
Web site at www.butterfliesandmoths.org that's now more helpful than ever
to its broad range of users! Read
more...
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Offers Additional Butterfly Data
Working with butterfly specialists nationwide, ITIS (a vital USGS-NBII component) has recently made a large quantity of new information on North American butterflies available. More than 3,600 scientific names and 1,000 common names for more than 800 species and 1,600 subspecies are now included. The comprehensive list contains both scientific and common names with associated data for this important group that includes numerous pollinators and endangered species as well as some invasives. For more information, visit <http//www.itis.gov> or contact Gerald "Stinger" Guala, Reston, VA, 703-648-4311.
The NBII Program is administered by the Biological Informatics Program of the U.S. Geological Survey