Enhancing the Quality and Credibility of Information
In order to ensure the quality and credibility of the scientific information we use to make regulatory decisions, the Fish and Wildlife Service has implemented a formal “peer review” process for influential scientific documents.
While we have always consulted experts to ensure that our decisions are based on sound science, through this peer review process we follow the guidelines for Federal agencies spelled out in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
“ Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review,” (PDF, 263 KB) released December 16, 2004.
Part of the peer review process is to provide information on the Web about how each peer review is to be conducted, as described in this checklist.
Peer Review Agenda
We have identified the following documents as meeting the OMB criteria of peer review for influential scientific information. Click on a title to get more information about that document and the peer review process we have set up for it. This list will be updated as necessary.
Scroll through the list or select a type of document:
- 5-Year Status of Species Review
- Proposed Critical Habitat
- Proposed Designation
- Proposed Listing
- Proposed Rule
- Recovery Plan
- All Others
5-Year Status of Species Review
Alabama cave shrimp (Palaemonias alabamae)
Anastasia Island beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus phasma)
Atlantic salt marsh snake (Nerodia clarkii taeniata)
Avon Park harebells (Crotalaria avonensis)
Beach Jacquemontia (Jacquemontia reclinata; a plant)
Bluetail mole skink (Eumeces egregius lividus)
Choctawhatchee beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus allophrys)
Crenulate lead-plant (Amorpha crenulata)
Cylindrical lioplax (Lioplax cyclostomaformis)
Everglade snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus)
Flat pebblesnail (Lepyrium showalteri)
Florida perforate cladonia (Cladonia perforata)
Florida Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens)
Garber’s spurge (Chamaesyce garberi)
Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Lacy Elimia (Elimia crenatella)
Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri)
11 Mobile River Basin Mussels Species
Fine‑lined
Pocketbook (Hamiota altilis)
Orange-nacre Mucket (Hamiota perovalis)
Alabama moccasinshell (Medionidus acutissimus)
Coosa moccasinshell (Medionidus parvulus)
Southern Clubshell (Pleurobema decisum)
Dark Pigtoe (Pleurobema furvum)
Southern Pigtoe (Pleurobema georgianum)
Ovate Clubshell (Pleurobema perovatum)
Triangular Kidneyshell (Ptychobranchus greenii)
Upland combshell (Epioblasma metastriata)
Southern acornshell (Epioblasma othcaloogensis)
Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)
Painted Snake Coiled Forest Snail (Anguispira picta)
Red wolf (canis rufus)
Sand skink (Neoseps reynoldsi)
Scrub lupine (Lupinus aridorum)
Seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus)
Southeastern beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris)
Speckled Pocketbook (Lampsilis streckeri)
Wide-leaf warea (Warea amplexifolia)
Proposed Critical Habitat
Coqui llanero (Eleutherodactylus juanariveroi)
Cumberland darter (Etheostoma susanae)
rush darter (Etheostoma phytophilum)
yellowcheek darter (Etheostoma moorei)
chucky madtom (Noturus crypticus)
laurel dace (Chrosomus saylori)
Golden sedge (Carex lutea )
Mississippi Gopher Frog (Rana sevosa)
Proposed Designation
Alabama sturgeon (Scaphirhyncus suttkusi)
Frosted flatwoods salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum)
Reticulated flatwoods salamander (Ambystoma bishopi)
Proposed Listing
Altamaha spinymussel (Elliptio spinosa)
Coqui llanero (Eleutherodactylus juanariveroi)
Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus)
Miami blue butterfly (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri)
Document also includes:
cassius blue butterfly (Leptotes cassius theonus)
ceraunus blue butterfly (Hemiargus ceraunus antibubastus)
nickerbean blue butterfly (Cyclargus ammon)
Proposed Rule
Cumberland darter (Etheostoma susanae)
Rush darter (Etheostoma phytophilum)
Chucky madtom (Noturus crypticus)
Laurel dace (Phoxinus saylori)
Species included:
Indian or Burmese Python (Python molurus)
Reticulated Python (Broghammerus reticulatus or Python reticulatus)
Northern African Python (Python sebae)
Southern African Python (Python natalensis)
Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor)
Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus)
DeSchauensee’s Anaconda (Eunectes deschauenseei)
Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
Beni Anaconda (Eunectes beniensis)
Document also includes:
Injurious Wildlife Evaluation
Vermilion darter (Etheostoma chermocki)
Recovery Plan
Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta)
Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittatta)
All Others
Amended Designation of Critical Habitat
Wintering Population of the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)
Determination of Critical Habitat
Fat Threeridge (Amblema
neislerii),
Shinyrayed Pocketbook (Lampsilis
subangulata),
Gulf Moccasinshell (Medionidus
penicillatus),
Ochlockonee
Moccasinshell (Medionidus simpsonianus),
Oval Pigtoe (Pleurobema
pyriforme),
Chipola Slabshell (Elliptio
chipolaensis), and
Purple Bankclimber (Elliptoideus
sloatianus)
Proposed Reclassification
American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)
Okaloosa darter (Etheostoma okaloosae)
Draft Recovery Plan
Draft revision of the Florida panther recovery plan
St. Andrew beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus peninsularis)
