Meet the butterfly at risk of extinction in the coming decades
This butterfly is at risk of extinction (photo: Wikipedia)
In recent years, Ukraine has been suffering from locust invasions, while gardeners have noticed a decrease in the number of Colorado potato beetles in the fields. Scientists have noted that some insect species are on the brink of extinction, while others have appeared in Ukraine. And climate change is not the only reason. In an interview, Ukrainian entomologist Yevhenii Khalaim, a junior researcher at the National Nature Park "Tuzlivski Lymany" and a leading specialist at the Odessa Testing Phytosanitary Laboratory of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, explained which insects are at risk in Ukraine and why.
Disappearance of some insect species will also affect humans
According to the expert, recent years have shown a trend of declining insect populations, with an increasing number of species becoming rare. This is happening not only in Ukraine but worldwide.
"Primarily, this is due to the excessive use of insecticides in agriculture, as well as the alteration of natural habitats: forests are being cut down, steppes plowed, and humans take up more space for their needs, leaving less room for insects," explains Yevhenii Khalaim.
He added that people usually do not notice the disappearance of certain insect species. But it is important for the ecosystem as a whole. The loss of insects leads to the disappearance of other species, including animals and plants. Ultimately, the disruption of this balance will also affect humans.
Which insects may disappear
The entomologist explained that the butterfly Tomares nogelii is now at risk.
"It lives only in virgin steppes on the plant Pontic milkvetch, and this year we found it on woolly-flowered milkvetch. Almost no natural virgin steppes remain in Ukraine, and those that do are being plowed. Only in small areas within reserves and ravines has this butterfly survived," says Yevhenii Khalaim.
He added that the populations found live in stretches of steppe that are 50-100 meters wide and several kilometers long.
"If someone comes up with a project to make this land 'productive,' it will cause the butterfly to disappear," the scientist emphasized.
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Tomares nogelii may disappear in the coming decades (photo provided by Yevhenii Khalaim)
Praying mantis also at risk
There is also a small moth, Conisania leineri. It primarily inhabits sandy dunes and spits. Its caterpillars feed on only a few species of wormwood. Any recreational activity in the reserve could lead to the extinction of this species.
"In preserved steppe areas, the spotted iris praying mantis also lives. It is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. Plowing the steppes will lead to the loss of this species," said Yevhenii Khalaim.
