Cycas micronesica

All plants were removed from the islands of Saipan and Tinian (Northern Mariana islands) by the Japanese during World War II. There has also been habitat loss on both Guam and Rota (Northern Mariana Islands).

The Cycad Aulacaspis scale (an invasive from southeast Asia) has caused substantial mortality. Current mortality is not necessarily a direct result of CAS. The Cycad Blue Butterfly (Chilades pandava) arrived in 2005, and it spread throughout Guam within months. Moreover, several pre-existing arthropod pests that were causing minor damage to the Cycas micronesica plants have ramped up their damage now that the cycad population is in such poor health. Many of the deaths that are occurring today are a result of longhorn beetle (Acalolepta marianarum) stem damage. Moreover, there is an alien invasive snail (Satsuma mercatoria) that has begun feeding on young leaflets and is now a new threat. This newly learned feeding behaviour by a herbivore may be the result of the compromised ability of the unhealthy cycad plants to adequately synthesize the chemicals that deter herbivory.

This species is listed in Appendix II of the CITES Appendices. Plants occur in the Guam National Wildlife Refuge. An education and awareness programme as well as the long-term monitoring of subpopulations will support the conservation of this species. Ways to combat the detrimental effects that alien pests are having on the subpopulations must be supported urgently.