Endangered Species Law & Policy

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced it had opened status reviews for 38 species of plants, wildlife, and fish endemic to Texas, New Mexico and Arizona (Southwest Species). Section 4(c) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires the Service to evaluate the status of species listed as threatened and endangered at least once every five years (5-year Review) and determine, based on that evaluation, whether any such species should be delisted, downlisted (from endangered to threatened), or uplisted (from threatened to endangered) under the ESA. The Service is seeking information on the Southwest Species’ status that has become available since the latter of the date the relevant species was listed or the publication of the most recent 5-year Review.

Following is a partial list of species under review. A full list of species may be found in a table in the Federal Register notice accompanying the announcement. Individuals and entities desiring to submit information to inform the 5-year Review for a given species will find the relevant Service contact in that table.

Texas

• Coffin Cave mold beetle (Batrisodes texanus)
• Several karst invertebrates found in Bexar County, Texas (Madla Cave meshweaver [Circuina madla], Robber Baron Cave meshweaver [Cicurina baronia], Cokendolpher Cave harvestman [Texella cokendolpheri], Helotes mold beetle [Batrisodes venyivi])
• Austin blind salamander (Eurycea sosorum)
• Barton Springs salamander (Eurycea waterlooensis)

Arizona

• Beautiful shiner (Cyprinella formosa)

New Mexico

• Roswell springsnail (Pyrgulopsis roswellensis)
• Pecos blunnose shiner (Notropis simus pecosensis)

Multiple States

• Ocelot (Leopardus [=Felis] pardalis)
• Jaguar (Panthera onca)
• New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus)
• Arkansas River shiner (Notopis girardi)
• Gila trout (Oncorhynchus gilae)
• Gila topminnow (incl. Yaqui) (Poecilopsis)
• Yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)