WASHINGTON— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed today to list the Jamaican kite swallowtail as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The proposal follows a 2021 lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity over the Service’s failure to protect the species.

The beautiful green and black swallowtail (Eurytides marcellinus) is Jamaica’s most endangered butterfly. It is threatened mainly by habitat destruction and has also been collected for international trade as décor.

“It’s so sad to see this butterfly plucked out of paradise only to be pinned to someone’s wall. The proposed protections would help put a stop to that,” said Dianne DuBois, a senior scientist at the Center. “U.S. safeguards for the butterfly will ensure that these beautiful swallowtails can’t be sold in the United States.”

The swallowtails breed only at four known sites in Jamaica and have lost 70% of their occupied habitat since the 1960s. The butterfly’s larva feed on only one type of tree, but that tree has been heavily logged.

Despite it being illegal under Jamaican law to kill the swallowtail, collected specimens have been found for sale online for more than $175 per butterfly.

Research has shown that the global trade in butterflies is extensive, involving more than 3,700 species. Most sellers are located in the United States and Europe and source the butterflies from the Global South. Rare and endangered butterflies command the highest prices in the market.

In 1994 a biologist petitioned the Service to list seven butterflies, including the Jamaican kite swallowtail, under the Endangered Species Act. The Service determined that their listing might be warranted but, despite the swallowtails being highly imperiled, the butterflies sat on the agency’s candidate waitlist for 30 years.

More than 600 foreign species are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The Act protects foreign endangered species by banning their import and sale, increasing awareness and providing financial assistance.

The second Trump administration has not listed any species, foreign or domestic, under the Endangered Species Act since taking office.