2024-01493. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Initiation of 5-Year Status Reviews of 22 Species in the Southwest

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of initiation of reviews; request for information.

SUMMARY:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are conducting 5-year status reviews under the Endangered Species Act, of 22 animal and plant species. A 5-year status review is based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review; therefore, we are requesting submission of any such information that has become available since the last reviews for the species.

DATES:

To ensure consideration, we are requesting submission of new information no later than February 26, 2024. However, we will continue to accept new information about any listed species at any time.

ADDRESSES:

For details on how to request or submit information, see Request for Information and How Do I Ask Questions or Provide Information? in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For information on a particular species, contact the appropriate person or office listed in the table in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. For general information, contact Beth Forbus, by telephone at 505–248–6681; or by email at [e-mail].

Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Why do we conduct 5-year reviews?

Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we maintain Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants (which we collectively refer to as the List) in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 17.11 (for animals) and 17.12 (for plants). Section 4(c)(2)(A) of the ESA requires us to review each listed species' status at least once every 5 years. Our regulations at 50 CFR 424.21 require that we publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing those species under active review. For additional information about 5-year status reviews, refer to our factsheet at https://www.fws.gov/​project/​five-year-status-reviews.

What information do we consider in our review?

A 5-year status review considers all new information available at the time of the review. In conducting these reviews, we consider the best scientific and commercial data that have become available since the listing determination or most recent status review, such as:

(A) Species biology, including but not limited to population trends, distribution, abundance, demographics, and genetics;

(B) Habitat conditions, including but not limited to amount, distribution, and suitability;

(C) Conservation measures that have been implemented that benefit the species;

(D) Threat status and trends in relation to the five listing factors (as defined in section 4(a)(1) of the ESA); and

(E) Other new information, data, or corrections, including but not limited to taxonomic or nomenclatural changes, identification of erroneous information contained in the List, and improved analytical methods.

Any new information will be considered during the 5-year status review and will also be useful in evaluating the ongoing recovery programs for the species.

Which species are under review?

The species in the following table are under active 5-year status review.

Common name	Scientific name	Listing status	Lead state	Final listing rule ( Federal Register citation and publication date)	Contact person, phone, email	Contact person's U.S. mail address
ANIMALS
Comal Springs dryopid beetle	Styoparnus comalensis	Endangered	Texas	62 FR 66295; 12/18/1997	Karen Myers, Field Supervisor, 512–490–0057 (phone) or [e-mail] (email)	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Austin Ecological Services Office, 10711 Burnet Road, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78758.
Comal Springs riffle beetle	Heterelmis comalensis	Endangered	Texas	62 FR 66295; 12/18/1997
Mexican long-nosed bat	Leptonycteris nivalis	Endangered	Texas	53 FR 38456; 9/30/1988
Peck's Cave amphipod	Stygobromus (=Stygonectes) pecki	Endangered	Texas	62 FR 66295; 12/18/1997
Government Canyon Bat Cave meshweaver	Cicurina vespera	Endangered	Texas	65 FR 81419; 12/26/2000
Comanche Springs pupfish	Cyprinodon elegans	Endangered	Texas	32 FR 4001; 3/11/1967
Leon Springs pupfish	Cyprinodon bovinus	Endangered	Texas	45 FR 54678; 8/15/1980
San Marcos salamander	Eurycea nana	Threatened	Texas	45 FR 47355; 7/14/1980
Gulf Coast jaguarundi	Herpailurus (=Felis) yagouaroundi cacomitli	Endangered	Texas	41 FR 24062; 6/14/1976	Field Supervisor, 281–286–8282 (phone) or [e-mail] (email)	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas Coastal Ecological Services Field Office, 17629 El Camino Real, Suite 211, Houston, TX 77058.
American burying beetle	Nicrophorus americanus	Threatened	Oklahoma	54 FR 29652; 7/13/1989	Field Office Supervisor, 918–581–7458 (phone), or [e-mail] (email)	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oklahoma Ecological Services Field Office, 9014 East 21st Street, Tulsa, OK 74129.
Whooping crane	Grus americana	Threatened	Texas	32 FR 4001; 3/11/1967	Kevin McAbee, Whooping Crane Recovery Coordinator, 303–482–7425 (phone) or [e-mail] (email)	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 160 Zillicoa Street, Suite B, Asheville, NC 28801.
Narrow headed gartersnake	Thamnophis rufipunctatus	Threatened	Arizona	79 FR 38678; 7/8/2014	Field Supervisor, 602–242–0210 (phone) or [e-mail] (email)	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Ecological Services Office, 9828 North 31st Avenue, #C3, Phoenix, AZ 85051–2517.
Southwestern willow flycatcher	Empidonax trailii extimus	Endangered	Arizona	60 FR 10694; 2/27/1995
Sonoyta mud turtle	Kinosternon sonoriense longifemorale	Endangered	Arizona	82 FR 43897; 9/20/2017
Masked bobwhite	Colinus virginianus ridgwayi	Endangered	Arizona	32 FR 4001; 3/11/1967
San Bernardino springsnail	Pyrgulopsis bernardina	Threatened	Arizona	77 FR 23060; 4/17/2012
Yaqui catfish	Ictalurus pricei	Threatened	Arizona	49 FR 34490; 8/31/1984
PLANTS
Pima pineapple cactus	Coryphantha scheeri var. robustispina	Endangered	Arizona	58 FR 49875; 9/23/1993	Field Supervisor, 602–242–0210 (phone) or [e-mail] (email)	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Ecological Services Office, 9828 North 31st Avenue, #C3, Phoenix, AZ 85051–2517.
Siler pincushion cactus	Pediocactus (=Echinocactus,= Utahia) sileri	Threatened	Arizona	44 FR 61786; 10/26/1979
Gierisch mallow	Sphaeralcea gierischii	Endangered	Arizona	78 FR 49149; 8/13/2013
Sentry milk-vetch	Astragalus cremnophylax var. cremnophylax	Endangered	Arizona	55 FR 50184; 12/5/1990
Huachuca water-umbel	Lilaeopsis schaffneriana var. recurva	Endangered	Arizona	62 FR 665; 1/6/1997

Request for Information

To ensure that a 5-year status review is complete and based on the best available scientific and commercial information, we request new information from all sources. See What Information Do We Consider in Our Review? for specific criteria. If you submit information, please support it with documentation such as maps, bibliographic references, methods used to gather and analyze the data, and/or copies of any pertinent publications, reports, or letters by knowledgeable sources.

How do I ask questions or provide information?

If you wish to provide information for any species listed above, please submit your comments and materials to the appropriate contact in the table above. You may also direct questions to those contacts (also see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT ).

Public Availability of Comments

Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Completed and Active Reviews

A list of all completed and currently active 5-year status reviews can be found at https://ecos.fws.gov/​ecp/​report/​species-five-year-review.

Authority

This document is published under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Jeffrey Fleming,

Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.