AMERICAN BURYING BEETLE (nicrophorus americanus)
(USFWS file photo)
The Burying Beetle buries its prey until it is dead and then eats it. It is black with orange markings on wing covers. They range from .32 - 1 inch long. They lay their eggs on dead carcasses. The babies hatch and feed on the body. They help clean the environment by eating these bodies. They are nocturnal and find food by smell. They cover dead bodies with their saliva so that they won't rot before being eaten. These beetles lay up to 30 eggs in tunnels within the carcass. No one knows for sure why they are disappearing, but destruction of habitat is the most likely reason.

MITCHELL'S SATYR butterfly (neonympha m. mitchellii)
(USFWS file photo)

Mitchell's Satyr Butterfly (Neonympha mitchellii mitchellii) endangered on an emergency basis in 1991, due to an imminent threat posed by over-collection by butterfly collectors. Habitat loss is another factor in the decline of this butterfly. Its habitat is the wetlands (fen) which are often drained for construction. Of the more than 30 known historical populations, only 12 survive--11 in southwest Michigan and 1 in northern Indiana and one possible location is southern NJ.
Unfortunately, surveys of 30 previous site in NJ during 1998 found none of these federally endangered butterflies.

(USFWS  file photo / Judy Jacobs)

The tiger beetle shown in the photo has been marked with a spot of yellow paint on its left wing for identification purposes.

 DWARF WEDGE MUSSEL (Alasmidonta heterodon)

The dwarf wedge mussel is less than 1.5 inches in length. It's a North American freshwater mussel. Little is known about the species' life cycle. We know that the female's eggs are fertilized in the female as sperm passes through its gills; the resulting larvae than attaches to a fish host (probably a fish that is an anadromous fish (one which migrates from the ocean into freshwater to spawn.) The species is now known from only 12 sites. Two of these populations have recently been discovered - one in Nottoway River, Virginia, and one on Navesink Creek ( in the Delaware River drainage) The dwarf wedge mussel inhabits creek and river areas with a slow to moderate current and a sand, gravel, or muddy bottom. These areas must be nearly silt free, which means that polluted waterways will not support them. Their appearance, as with many endangered species, indicates a healthy environment.
Water pollution and construction are the primary threats to this mussel's survival. Increased acidity, caused by toxic metals by acid rain, is thought to be one of the chief causes of the species' disappearance. Freshwater mussels, including the dwarf wedge, are sensitive to potassium, zinc, copper, cadmium, and other elements associated with industrial pollution. It is also possible that the fish which act as its host are not being allowed to move between fresh & salt waters due to dams & water causeways.