Butterfly threatened by an alien; Sharp decline: The small tortoiseshell.

From: The Daily Mail (London, England) | Date: March 29, 2008 | Copyright information

Byline: David Derbyshire

WITH their orange, black and gold wings, they are one of the mostfamiliar and best loved butterflies.

But conservationists fear the small tortoiseshell is being destroyed by aparasitic fly. Numbers have plummeted by 80 per cent in the last 20 years andthe butterfly has just had its worst two years on record.

Scientists are struggling to explain why they are suffering so badly butbelieve the Sturmia bella fly, which has spread from southern Europe, could beto blame.

The fly, first spotted in England in 1999, lays its eggs inside ...

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