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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is requesting more scientific and biological information from the public and species experts about the valley elderberry longhorn beetle to determine whether the beetle, currently a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), should be proposed for delisting.

The finding is the result of a petition submitted by the Pacific Legal Foundation in September 2010, seeking to remove the beetle, (Desmocerus californicus dimorphus) from the threatened and endangered species list under the ESA. Based on a review of the petition and information available in our files, it was determined there is substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that delisting the beetle may be warranted.

The Service will now undertake a more comprehensive study, known as 12-month review, to determine whether or not to propose the beetle for delisting.

“We are looking to the public, agencies and non-profit organizations to provide us with more information on the status of the species,” explained Susan K. Moore, Field Supervisor in the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office. “To ensure the best decision is made for the species we need our information to be complete and accurate.”

The valley elderberry longhorn beetle is one-half to one-inch long with arching long antennae and vivid, almost iridescent, colors on its forewing covers. Females have metallic green highlights; males exhibit red highlights. The beetle is found only in California’s Central Valley, where it depends on a single species for food and shelter, blue elderberry bushes (Sambucus) that grow along Central Valley watercourses. These beetles spend most of their lives as larvae inside the stems of the bushes, emerging as adults between March and June to lay their eggs on nearby elderberries. The insects eat elderberry nectar, flowers and leaves.

The beetle was listed as threatened in 1980 due to loss of habitat and inadequate regulatory protection. It was known to occur in less than 10 locations and more than 90 per cent of the Central Valley’s original riparian habitat had been lost.

Since then, nearly 200 occurrences in 25 locations ranging from Shasta County to Kern County have been confirmed and the rate of riparian habitat loss has been greatly reduced. About 35 percent are on protected lands.