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Xerces blue
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<p>The Xerces blue (<i>Glaucopsyche xerces</i>) is a <a href="/facts/Holocene_extinction/C1LzDDy7">recently extinct</a> <a href="/facts/Species/oDg6b96r">species</a> of <a href="/facts/Butterfly/qlSgwlRx">butterfly</a> in the gossamer-winged butterfly family, <a href="/facts/Lycaenidae/HLEGIl7b">Lycaenidae</a>. The species lived in coastal sand dunes of the Sunset District of the <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_Peninsula/H08uG0rx">San Francisco Peninsula</a> in <a href="/facts/California/zLW2vdQJ">California</a>. The Xerces blue is believed to be the first American butterfly species to become extinct due to <a href="/facts/Loss_of_habitat/pyPMkBCY">loss of habitat</a> caused by urban development. The last Xerces blue was seen in 1941 or 1943 on land that is now part of the <a href="/facts/Golden_Gate_National_Recreation_Area/FJuC9zen">Golden Gate National Recreation Area</a>. </p>