Australian fritillary butterfly tops list at greatest risk of extinction, study reveals

It’s relatively large and quite eye-catching, but it’s been many years since anyone has spotted an Australian fritillary butterfly.

In 2001, there was a confirmed sighting, and in 2015 one was reportedly seen just north of Port Macquarie, on the New South Wales Mid North Coast.

There has been nothing since.

Trevor Lambkin from University Queensland’s School of Biological Sciences said concerns were increasing that the Australian fritillary species had already been wiped out. 

“We have gone for 20 years now without a confirmed sighting.

“We could have pushed it to extinction at this point, but…