The last known Sacramento Mountains checkerspot caterpillar died at the ABQ BioPark in Albuquerque, ending a three‑year captive effort to coax the insect into adulthood. Scientists had hoped the larva would emerge as a butterfly and mate with a wild counterpart to start a new generation.

The checkerspot, a subspecies of the anicia checkerspot, once flourished across the Sacramento Mountains but vanished from surveys after 2022. Climate‑driven warming, more frequent wildfires, overgrazing, invasive plants and recreation have shredded its habitat, mirroring a nationwide loss of 22 % of butterfly species in the past two decades. Researchers captured four wild adults in 2022, producing over 160 larvae; only this individual survived.

With the larva now frozen at the University of New Mexico’s Museum of Southwestern Biology, scientists hope genomic analysis will inform future restoration attempts. Conservation groups argue the delay in listing the insect under the Endangered Species Act—finalized only in 2023—cost precious time. The loss underscores how high‑elevation specialists face an “elevator to extinction” as climate zones shift upward.

Funding for the next field season will come from a mix of state wildlife grants and private donations, reflecting growing investor interest in biodiversity offsets. Teams plan to survey earlier this spring, targeting New Mexico beardtongue patches that sustain the caterpillar’s narrow diet. Success could revive a species once deemed a conservation flagship.