Rare, Endangered Insects Being Illegally Sold On Amazon And Other Platforms, New Survey Shows

Endangered and threatened insect and spider species can easily be purchased online even through basic searches, a team of researchers has found.

We may not always think about them this way, but insects and spiders are also getting commercially exploited. These creatures are particularly at a high risk of exploitation, in part because of their smaller size, which makes them easier to conceal. Whether the species is rare or perhaps a common one that provides "valuable ecological services," this exploitation actually "represents a serious threat," according to the authors of a recent study, published in Global Ecology and Conservation.

"Even if the risk to invertebrate species is clear, there is often a sociocultural perception that invertebrates are of less importance than vertebrate species and should therefore be prioritized lower for allocation of protection and conservation resources," the researchers wrote.

To assess the extent of e-commerce for insects and arachnids, the researchers searched online platforms for vulnerable insects from the "critically endangered" section of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) appendices and the U.S. Endangered Species List of threatened and endangered species. They scoured various online platforms such as eBay, Amazon, Alibaba and Etsy.

They found 79 species from the three lists on these platforms, Cornell University noted in a news release. For instance, they found the Luzon peacock swallowtail, which is said to be one of the rarest butterflies and is listed in both CITES Appendix I and the U.S. Endangered Species List, for sale on Amazon for $110. International trade of species on CITES Appendix 1 are "generally prohibited."

Seven other species that were on the IUCN Red List were also listed for sale on these platforms. This includes the Cyprus beetle, which was available for $1,100 on eBay. The most expensive insect was a birdwing butterfly, which was on sale for $3,850 on eBay.

Many live tarantulas were also easily available for sale online. Even though they aren't considered to be threatened, their trade is still "strictly controlled."

"Tarantulas are commonly sold as pets and while many are reared in captivity, overharvesting in the wild is reported to be the main cause of losses of individuals in wild populations," the researchers wrote.

Simply put, a "substantial" number of insect and spider species that are prohibited for commerce, either nationally or internationally, are illegally and easily being sold online. The results are concerning, especially given the global decline in insect populations.

"It was really astonishing how easily endangered species are openly being sold online," study co-author Juan Pablo Jordán said in the news release. "It was also surprising how accessible the [endangered species] listings are to find and the complacency of the sale platforms that are essentially supporting the trade of at-risk species that are protected by law."

And apart from the rare and threatened species, researchers also found that some species that provide ecological services are also being sold online. This includes ladybugs that are utilized for pest control and pollination.

"While all species for this purpose do provide a service, they each present unique risks to other species in their genera, guild, and to the larger ecological community, in some cases threatening ecological functions," the researchers wrote.

Study senior author Paul Curtis expressed hope that the results of the study can highlight the issue and perhaps lead to stricter law enforcement to protect the species. The team has even shared the results of their study with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which enforces the matter of illegal trade, but does not have the resources to monitor the market.