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 • Home/Overview • Checklists • Database • Fieldwork • Phylogeography • Photo Gallery • Species pages • Endangered beetles • Personnel • Informatics • Collaborators • Collection • Bibliography • Support the project • Beetle links  | California Beetle Project > Endangered beetles Endangered Beetles California is home to four species of federally listed beetles. These species have been recognized by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as either threatened or endangered in their native habitats. In all cases, these species are restricted to areas that have been heavily impacted by human activities. The first two listed below are found only in the Santa Cruz mountains, and had historically small ranges, so were particularly susceptible to disturbance. The last two were probably once much more widespread in the Central Valley, but agricultural activities have greatly reduced the extent of their required habitats. Please follow the links below to read more detailed information about each of these species. Polyphylla barbata - Mount Hermon June Beetle In addition to these, dozens of additional California beetle species have been proposed for listing over the years. Unfortunately, none of these could be realistically evaluated for listing due to a lack of information on their historic and contemporary distributions. So they do not now receive any legal protection. However, their status is tracked by the California Department of Fish and Game (as 'Species of Concern'), and they may be considered for listing in the future if the data warrant it.  |