"Extinct & Endangered," a new book by British photographer Levon Biss and the American Museum of Natural History features heavily magnified photographs of 40 species of insects that are either already extinct or under severe threat. The Blue Calamintha Bee, has a wingspan of around 10 millimeters and the bright yellow seen here under its abdomen is pollen. Found in Florida, the species is listed as "critically imperiled" by US conservation organization NatureServe.
Biss specializes in macro photography -- each image was created from up to 10,000 photographs using microscope lenses, providing extreme levels of detail usually invisible to the human eye. Populations of the nine-spotted lady beetle, once widespread and the official state insect of New York, have crashed significantly since the 1980s.
Biss hopes that the clarity and beauty of the photographs will make people care more about the insects. In this photo of the sabertooth longhorn beetle, he captures its intricate patterns that resemble tree bark. The beetles, which live in the Amazon River basin and can reach seven inches long, are threatened by deforestation.
This photo of the giant Patagonian bumblebee is one of Biss's favorites in the series. By focusing on the underside, it shows areas of the insect humans wouldn't usually see. "It's an unusual image, it confronts the viewer," he said. Populations of the bee, which is native to southern South America, have plummeted since farmers introduced domesticated European bumblebees to help pollinate crops.
All the specimens photographed were selected from the American Museum of Natural History's enormous archives. The lesser wasp moth, found in southern Florida and parts of the Caribbean, looks and flies like a wasp, but it has no sting. The species is threatened by human activities, including the spraying of insecticides.
Here, Biss captures the exquisite beauty and texture of a Luzon peacock swallowtail -- its velvety black wings showing turquoise and purple scales. The species, found in the Philippines, is threatened by habitat loss due to logging. Its elegance also makes it a target for commercial butterfly traders.
Insect decline is a global problem. According to a 2019 scientific review published in the journal Biological Conservation, 40% of insect species are declining, a third are endangered, and the rate of extinction is much faster than in mammals, birds and reptiles. The Rocky Mountain locust is already extinct. Last recorded in 1902, the insect likely perished at the hands of Euro-American settlers, who moved into its native lands and plowed over its nesting areas.
Biss says that "Extinct & Endangered" has been one of the most meaningful projects of his whole career. "If you hold on a pin an insect that is never going to fly on this planet again, primarily due to human influence, it's a humbling experience," he said.