The status and trends of pollinating insects is an increasing ecological and economic concern nationally and globally. Many species in Alaska may be vulnerable to changing climates, alteration of plant communities and habitats, and disease. The Alaska Center for Conservation Science (ACCS) is the state authority on the conservation listing of plants and animals in Alaska. The tracked lists undergo continuous revision based on new information gained through inventory, research, and monitoring. The Alaska Bee Atlas project has significantly increased the amount of data, therefore increasing the accuracy of the assessments. Continuous assessment of imperiled species allows for preventative measures or elevations to endangered or threatened legal status.
Conservation Ranking Methods
The conservation ranks are instrumental for natural resource management, prioritizing restoration or conservation efforts, and identifying species requiring further research or protection. The ACCS is responsible for assigning a state conservation rank while NatureServe assigns ranks at the global scale. The ACCS generates the Alaska conservation ranks using NatureServe’s conservation ranking protocol. This standardized methodology incorporates distribution, abundance, condition, threats, and trend data to calculate a conservation rank. Species receive a ranking on a scale of 1 to 5, with lower numbers indicating a higher degree of imperilment. A complete set of definitions are available on the NatureServe Conservation Status website.
Explore Conservation Assessments
The lists below are complete checklists of butterflies and bumblebees in Alaska, however the solitary bee list is near complete. Conservation assessment reports are completed for many species, but is an ongoing project. Check back each spring for updated conservation ranks and reports. The list was last updated March 1, 2024.
| Family | Scientific Name | Global Rank | State Rank | Federal Status | Conservation Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nymphalidae | Aglais milberti | G5 | S3S4 | ||
| Lycaenidae | Agriades glandon | G5 | S4 | ||
| Lycaenidae | Agriades optilete | G5 | S5 | ||
| Pieridae | Anthocharis sara | G5 | S3 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Boloria alaskensis | G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Boloria astarte | G5 | S3 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Boloria chariclea | G5 | SNR | ||
| Nymphalidae | Boloria epithore | G5 | S1 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Boloria eunomia | G5 | S5 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Boloria freija | G5 | S5 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Boloria frigga | G5 | S5 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Boloria improba | G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Boloria natazhati | G3 | S1 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Boloria polaris | G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Boloria selene | G5 | S3 | ||
| Lycaenidae | Callophrys augustinus | G5 | S3S4 |  |
|
| Lycaenidae | Callophrys polios | G5 | S3 | |
|
| Hesperiidae | Carterocephalus palaemon | G5 | S5 | |
|
| Lycaenidae | Celastrina lucia | G5 | S5 | |
|
| Nymphalidae | Coenonympha tullia | G5 | S5 | ||
| Pieridae | Colias canadensis | G5 | S3 | ||
| Pieridae | Colias christina kluanensis | G5T3 | S2 | ||
| Pieridae | Colias gigantea | G5 | S4 | ||
| Pieridae | Colias hecla | G5 | S4 | ||
| Pieridae | Colias nastes | G5 | S4 | ||
| Pieridae | Colias palaeno | G5 | S4 | ||
| Pieridae | Colias philodice | G5 | S4 | ||
| Pieridae | Colias tyche | G5 | S4 | ||
| Lycaenidae | Cupido amyntula | G5 | S4 | |
|
| Nymphalidae | Erebia disa | G5 | S5 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Erebia discoidalis | G5 | S5 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Erebia epipsodea | G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Erebia fasciata | G5 | S5 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Erebia lafontainei | G5 | S3S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Erebia mackinleyensis | G5 | S3S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Erebia mancinus | G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Erebia occulta | G4G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Erebia pawloskii | G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Erebia rossii | G5 | S5 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Erebia youngi | G5 | S5 | ||
| Hesperiidae | Erynnis persius | G5 | S4 | |
|
| Pieridae | Euchloe ausonides | G5 | S4 | ||
| Pieridae | Euchloe creusa | G5 | S3S4 | ||
| Pieridae | Euchloe naina | GU | S1 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Euphydryas anicia | G5 | S1 | ||
| Lycaenidae | Glaucopsyche lygdamus | G5 | S5 | |
|
| Hesperiidae | Hesperia comma | G5 | S4 | |
|
| Lycaenidae | Icaricia saepiolus | G5 | S5 | |
|
| Nymphalidae | Limenitis arthemis | G5 | S5 | ||
| Lycaenidae | Lycaena dorcas | G5 | S4S5 | |
|
| Lycaenidae | Lycaena mariposa | G5 | S3S4 | |
|
| Lycaenidae | Lycaena phlaeas | G5 | S4 | |
|
| Nymphalidae | Nymphalis antiopa | G5 | S5 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Nymphalis l-album | G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Oeneis alpina | G4G5 | S2 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Oeneis bore | G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Oeneis chryxus | G5 | S1 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Oeneis jutta | G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Oeneis melissa | G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Oeneis philipi | G3G5 | S1S2 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Oeneis polixenes | G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Oeneis tanana | G2 | S2 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Oeneis uhleri | G5 | S1 | ||
| Papilionidae | Papilio canadensis | G5 | S5 | |
|
| Papilionidae | Papilio machaon | G5 | S5 | |
|
| Papilionidae | Papilio zelicaon | G5 | SU | |
|
| Papilionidae | Parnassius corybas | G5 | S4 | ||
| Papilionidae | Parnassius eversmanni | G5 | S4 | |
|
| Nymphalidae | Phyciodes pulchella | G5 | S3 | ||
| Pieridae | Pieris marginalis | G5 | S5 | ||
| Lycaenidae | Plebejus idas | G5 | S5 | |
|
| Nymphalidae | Polygonia faunus | G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Polygonia gracilis | G5 | S4 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Polygonia satyrus | G5 | S2 | ||
| Pieridae | Pontia occidentalis | G5 | S4 | ||
| Hesperiidae | Pyrgus centaureae | G5 | S4 | |
|
| Nymphalidae | Speyeria atlantis | G5 | S2 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Speyeria mormonia | G5 | S3 | ||
| Nymphalidae | Speyeria zerene | G5 | S1 |