Federal wildlife officials say the valley elderberry longhorn beetle, a native of the Sacramento Valley, no longer needs Endangered Species Act protection.

The inch-long, red-and- black beetle has been listed as a threatened species since 1980, a result of land development and levee construction that eliminated more than 90 percent of the Central Valley’s riparian habitat.

In a Federal Register filing Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the beetle has recovered enough that legal protection is no longer necessary.

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