[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 20, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 48684-48685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-23251]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of 90-Day
Finding on Petition To List the Riverside Cuckoo Bee as Endangered
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of petition finding.
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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces a 90-day
petition finding to list the Riverside cuckoo bee (Holcopasites ruthae)
as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended
(Act). The Service finds that substantial information has not been
presented to indicate the requested action may be warranted.
Information is lacking to adequately identify the status and
distribution of the Riverside cuckoo bee.
DATES: The finding in this notice was made on September 11, 1995.
Comments and materials regarding this petition finding may be submitted
to the Field Supervisor at the address listed below until further
notice.
ADDRESSES: Information, comments, or questions regarding this petition
finding should be submitted to the Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Field
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2730 Loker Avenue West,
Carlsbad, California 92008. The petition, the Service's finding, and
additional information are available for public inspection, by
appointment, during normal business hours at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Nagano, Fish and Wildlife
Biologist, at the above address (telephone 619/431-9440).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 4(b)(3)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), requires that the Service make a
finding on whether a petition to list, delist, or reclassify a species
presents substantial scientific or commercial information to indicate
that the petitioned action may be warranted. To the maximum extent
practicable, this finding is to be made within 90 days of the receipt
of the petition.
On April 14, 1992, the Service received a petition dated April 13,
1992, from Dr. K.W. Cooper of the University of California at
Riverside, California. The petitioner requested that the Service list
the Riverside cuckoo bee (Holcopasites ruthae) as an endangered
species. The petition was clearly identified as such and contained the
name, signature, and address of the petitioner. A letter acknowledging
receipt of the petition by the Service was sent to the petitioner on
May 15, 1992. On April 16, 1992, Dr. Cooper submitted a second letter
requesting the Service list the Riverside cuckoo bee under an emergency
basis.
The Service's finding is based on information contained in the
petition, the literature provided by the petitioner, and information
available in the Service's files. All documents are on file in the
Carlsbad Field Office (See ADDRESSES section).
The Riverside cuckoo bee is associated with coastal sage scrub
containing brittle bush (Encelia farinosa) within a relatively small
area of northwestern Riverside County, California (Visscher et al.
1992). Its known distribution extends from the City of Riverside east
to near Calimesa and south to the Lake Perris Recreation Area. This
species is a solitary cleptoparasite (an organism that feeds on food
stored for the host larvae). The only known host of the Riverside
cuckoo bee is the dagger andrenid bee (Calliopsis pugionis) (Visscher
et al. 1992; Cooper 1993), which is endemic to Los Angeles, Riverside,
and San
[[Page 48685]]
Diego Counties in southwestern California (Shinn 1967; Krombein 1979).
The petitioner stated that the Riverside cuckoo bee merited
protection under the Act because it was imperiled by the proposed
construction of a U.S. Department of Agriculture soil laboratory. At
that time the proposed laboratory site contained the only known
population of the species. A survey was subsequently conducted in April
and May 1992 to find the Riverside cuckoo bee in portions of
westernmost Riverside County and a few adjacent portions of San
Bernardino County (Visscher et al. 1992). The survey was designed to
cover areas of habitat similar to the coastal sage scrub where the
Riverside cuckoo bee was originally discovered at the proposed
laboratory site. The 1992 survey found the Riverside cuckoo bee at 7 of
84 sites (8 percent) containing potential habitat. The dagger andrenid
bee was located at 19 of the 84 sites (23 percent). Construction of the
soil laboratory was completed in 1994 (G. Ballmer pers. comm. to C.
Nagano, March 28, 1995).
The ecology and distribution of cleptoparasitic anthrophorid bees
are poorly known (R.R. Snelling, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
County, pers. comm. to C. Nagano February 9, 1995; G. Eickwort,
University of Arizona, in litt. June 12, 1992). Bees of the genus
Holcopasites are extremely cryptic in their ecology and behavior. These
small bees are usually collected when they are either searching for
mates or for suitable hosts at the host colonies. They are highly alert
and extremely fast fliers that are unlikely to be observed or captured
during entomological studies of a ``casual'' nature.
Although other cleptoparasitic anthrophorid bees are known to use
more than one bee species as hosts (R.R. Snelling, pers. comm. to. C.D.
Nagano, April 27, 1995), ecological studies have not been conducted to
determine if the Riverside cuckoo bee utilizes other andrenid bees of
the genus Calliopsis. Given the ecology and biology of the Riverside
cuckoo bee, surveying for the dagger andrenid bee is the most
appropriate method of ascertaining the distribution of the petitioned
species. Surveys of this nature or specific surveys for the Riverside
cuckoo bee throughout the entire range of the dagger andrenid bee or
other suitable host species have not been completed (Ballmer ibid;
Snelling pers. comm. to C. D. Nagano, February 9, 1995; Visscher et al.
1992). Although other invertebrate groups are well known, such as
butterflies and tiger beetles, there are few specialists working on
cleptoparasitic bees and their hosts.
The Service has carefully reviewed the petition. On the basis of
the best scientific and commercial information currently available, the
Service has determined that the petition does not present substantial
information indicating the requested action may be warranted.
Information is lacking to adequately identify the status and
distribution of the Riverside cuckoo bee. However, the Service is
interested in any additional information about the Riverside cuckoo bee
that may be available. Please submit any additional information to the
Carlsbad Field Office (see ADDRESSES section). If additional data
become available in the future, the Service may reassess the listing
priority for this species or the need for listing.
References Cited
Cooper, K.W. 1993. The first Holcopasites from western California,
H. ruthae new species, and H. linsleyi, a new species from
southwestern Arizona (Hymenoptera, Nomadinae). Proc. Entomol. Soc.
Wash. 95(1):113-125.
Krombein, K. 1979. Catalog of Hymenoptera in America north of
Mexico. Volume 2 Apocrita (Aculeata). Smith. Inst. Press.,
Washington, DC.
Shinn, A.F. 1967. A revision of the bee genus Calliopsis and the
biology and ecology of C. andreniformis (Hymenoptera, Andrenidae).
The Univ. of Kansas Sci. Bull. 46(21)753-936.
Visscher, P.K., B.N. Danforth, and M.M. Barnes. 1992. Investigations
of the biology and distribution of a new species of Holcopasites
found on the proposed salinity laboratory site. Department of
Entomology, Univ. of Calif., Riverside.
Author
The primary author of this document is Chris Nagano (see ADDRESSES
section).
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 17
Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Imports, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, and Transportation.
Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: September 11, 1995.
Jay L. Gerst,
Acting Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 95-23251 Filed 9-19-95; 8:45 am]
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