Lytta mirifica (Anthony Blister Beetle) | Natural Heritage New Mexico

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Meloidae

Genus: Lytta

Species: mirifica

Anthony Blister Beetle - Lytta mirifica

327328

Species Extent (New Mexico)

Global Rank: G2

State Rank: S1

Rank Metadata
State Rank: S1	Rank Changed: 04/30/2025
Rank Reviewed: N/A
Reason: The Anthony Blister Beetle (<em>Lytta mirifica</em>) is found only in several sand dune areas in the Chihuahuan Desert, in the border region of New Mexico. It has been recorded very few times, though survey effort in the region has been minimal. Based on known occurrences, the estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) could be as little as 813 km<sup>2</sup> and 6 km<sup>2</sup>, respectively. These numbers are unlikely to increase substantially, given the habitat specificity of the species. This species has also not been recorded since 2002 in New Mexico. If the species is not rediscovered in other sites where it has been collected, it may be found in just one or two locations. It is threatened by dune instability, which is increasing due to drought, and recreational use. The threats to this species, especially drought and climate change, may be quite widespread in nature. This is concerning given the species small range. If the species is found to be extant at all other historic localities, as many as five occurrences are possible in New Mexico. A continuing decline in quality of habitat is also inferred based on these threats. As a result, this species is currently assessed as S1 in New Mexico. However, a reassessment should be completed if more information becomes available.

Ecological Factors
Specificity: Narrow. Specialist or community with key requirements common.	Range Extent: 250-1000 square km (about 100-400 square miles)
Occurences: 1 - 5	Population Size: Unknown
Area of Occupancy: An Area of Occupancy of 6km2 is calculated using points from Huether and Huether 2015, and GBIF.org 2025. However, many of these occurrence points are historical and may not currently be representative of the species distribution.	Threat Summary: N/A

State Status:

Federal Status:

USFS Status:

BLM Status: BLM SENSITIVE

SWAP Status: SGCN

NMRP Strategy Status:

Number of Subpopulations: 8

Number of Mapped Locations: 34

Number of Observations: 6

Observation date range: 06-21-1941 to 01-01-2002

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