The Florida/United States population was at one time believed to have become extirpated due to overharvesting of its host plant, the coontie palm. It was not collected in Florida from 1937 until 1959.
At one time, it was believed that the Florida/United States population of this species had vanished because of excessive harvesting of its primary food source, the coontie palm. However, it wasn't until 1959 that collections resumed in Florida.