CU Boulder entomologist confirms living populations of Cicinnus albarenicolus, a Florida\u2011only moth considered possibly extinct as recently as 2025 and only\u00a0formally described and named in April 2026.<\/p>\n
Discovery highlights conservation importance of Florida\u2019s increasingly rare white\u2011sand scrub ecosystems.<\/p>\n
Read the story<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0See the paper<\/a><\/p>\n Download: Photo Attached<\/p>\n Newswise \u2014 April 27, 2026\u2014A moth species believed extinct for decades has been rediscovered in Florida by a University of Colorado Boulder researcher, confirming that the insect survives in small, isolated pockets of the state.<\/p>\n Ryan St Laurent<\/a>, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at CU Boulder and curator of entomology at the CU Museum of Natural History, spotted multiple live specimens of Cicinnus albarenicolus during nighttime fieldwork in central Florida\u2019s scrub habitat \u2013 a rare, white\u2011sand ecosystem with open canopies and low\u2011growing vegetation. Until late 2025, the species was known only from decades\u2011old museum specimens and had not been observed in the wild since the 1960s.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was a species I had only ever seen pinned in museum drawers,\u201d St Laurent said. \u201cSeeing it alive in its natural habitat, after thinking it may already be gone, was extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n St Laurent recently published the scientific description of C. albarenicolus after identifying it as a new species through DNA barcoding of preserved specimens. Based on the lack of recent sightings and the moth\u2019s extremely limited range, he initially concluded it might be extinct. That changed after learning that a collector had found a specimen in Florida scrub habitat last fall, prompting St Laurent to travel to the state to search for additional populations.<\/p>\n Over two nights of surveys in April 2026, using specialized light traps in scrub ecosystems near Cassia and Seminole State Forest, St Laurent encountered three live female moths shortly after sunset \u2013 confirming that the species persists in the wild.<\/p>\n C. albarenicolus belongs to the Mimallonidae family, an ancient lineage of moths more than 100 million years old that is largely found in Central and South America. Only a handful of species occur in North America, and C. albarenicolus is the only member of the family known to be endemic to the United States.<\/p>\n The moth appears restricted to Florida scrub, a habitat of which scientists estimate only about 10% of the state\u2019s original acreage remains.<\/p>\n \u201cFlorida scrub is one of the most threatened habitats in the country,\u201d St Laurent said. \u201cWe don\u2019t yet know what this moth\u2019s caterpillars feed on, how long it lives, or how sensitive it is to habitat disturbance.\u201d<\/p>\n St Laurent transported live females to collaborators at the University of Florida in Gainesville to attempt rearing offspring, which could provide crucial insight into the moth\u2019s life cycle and conservation needs.<\/p>\n \u201cThis moth is part of Florida\u2019s natural heritage,\u201d he said. \u201cIt exists nowhere else on Earth. Rediscovering it alive gives us a chance to protect it \u2013 if we act on that knowledge.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The University of Colorado Boulder is Colorado\u2019s leading public research university, transforming lives since 1876.\u00a0As the state’s flagship university and one of only 38 U.S. public research institutions in the Association of American Universities (AAU), CU Boulder has proudly served Coloradans since the state’s founding. Home to five Nobel Laureates since 1989 and the only university to send space instruments to every planet in the solar system, CU Boulder provides a strong return on investment by aligning efforts to achieve research and creative excellence, global sustainability impact and the success of all students, faculty and staff. Learn more at\u00a0colorado.edu\/about.<\/a><\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n Contact:<\/p>\n CU Boulder Media Relations Find more media resources<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Find more story ideas at CU Boulder Today<\/a><\/p>\n
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