Citrus Tree-Eating Butterfly Found In Florida: Report

KEY WEST, FL — An invasive species of butterfly known for damaging citrus trees n the Caribbean has been found in Florida, according to a report by The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

The lime swallowtail butterfly, which originally hails from Asia, was discovered last fall in Key West after residents found them on their backyard citrus trees, the Sun-Sentinel reported. The Florida Department of Agriculture took samples and this week confirmed the larvae were indeed the invasive butterfly.

The lime swallowtail butterfly is large with a wingspan of nearly 4 inches, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Its upper wings are black with irregular yellow spots, while its lower wings have a distinctive red spot with blue scales and a discal black band with yellow scales.

The lime swallowtail butterfly was first found in the Dominican Republic in March 2004 and spread to Puerto Rico by 2006.

The species is known as a "serious pest of citrus trees," according to California officials. The lime swallowtail butterfly typically consumes citrus tree foliage and larvae can seriously damage host trees because they devour large quantities of foliage.

Young citrus trees are often severely affected by larval feeding, which can lead to tree defoliation and decreased growth and fruit yields.

Luckily, the lime swallowtail butterfly has only been found in Key West, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Still, its presence in Florida could spell bad news for one of the state's most significant agricultural exports.

In 2020, Florida ranked first in the United States for the production of oranges and third for grapefruits, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Florida orange market alone is worth about $867 million.

Between 2019 and 2020, Florida citrus growers produced 67.4 million boxes of oranges and 4.85 million boxes of grapefruit, according to the USDA.

Last year, back-to-back hurricanes decimated Florida's orange crop. A USDA forecast released in December predicted about 18 million boxes of oranges would be produced in 2022-23, down from 28 million in October — a number that did not account for damage caused by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, according to Fortune.

In comparison, Florida's orange harvest was 41 million boxes in 2021-22 and more than 67 million the season before that.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried told Fortune that Hurricane Ian damaged about 375,000 acres of commercial citrus land when it hit the state in September. While Nicole did less damage, it still struck some of the same areas in November.