Why the silverspot butterfly, native to just 3 US states, is inching closer to extinction

The silverspot butterfly, a species native to the U.S., is inching closer to extinction, prompting the federal protections as its numbers continue to decline.

The silverspot butterfly, a species native to the U.S., is inching closer to extinction, prompting the federal government to take immediate action.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced Wednesday that the silverspot butterfly has been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act following a status assessment that indicates the species is "likely in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future."

The species is only found in about 10 populations across southwestern Colorado, eastern Utah and northern New Mexico at elevations ranging from 5,200 feet to 8,300 feet, according to the FWS.

The three main threats for butterfly populations are habitat loss, habitat degradation and climate change, Matthew Forister, a professor of biology at the University of Nevada, Reno, who specializes in plant-insect ecology, told ABC News.