The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is listing the Key ring-necked snake and the rim rock crowned snake as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.

The Endangered Species Act lists two categories of species that need protection: threatened and endangered. Endangered animals or plants are in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their range. Threatened animals or plants are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their range. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the Key ring-necked snake and rim rock crowned snake meet the definition of endangered species because they are in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their ranges.

The Key ring-necked snake is found only in the Florida Keys, while the rim rock crowned snake occurs in Miami-Dade County and parts of the Florida Keys. Their limited distributions make both species especially vulnerable to environmental change.

The Key ring-necked snake inhabits a limited range on seven lower Florida Keys, Monroe County, Florida. An adult Key ring-necked snake is 6- to 10-inches long, with a grayish-black back, bright yellow and red underside, and an indistinct or absent neck ring. The Service has listed the Key ring-necked snake as endangered throughout its range.

The rim rock crowned snake is found in the lower Florida Keys, upper Florida Keys, and southeastern Florida peninsula within Miami-Dade County. It is 7- to 9-inches long, with a black cap, tan to beige back, and pinkish white to cream belly. Currently, it is thought to exist in seven small and fragmented parcels in eastern Miami-Dade County, six islands in the upper Florida Keys, and two islands in the lower Florida Keys. The Florida Keys encompasses 82 percent of the rangewide suitable habitat for the rim rock crowned snake. Given this significant area and the species’ current condition within the Florida Keys from the ongoing impacts of sea level rise and other threats, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is listing the rim rock crowned snake as endangered throughout its range. 

The phrase “significant portion of its range” in the Endangered Species Act definitions of “endangered species” and “threatened species” provides an independent basis for listing. A species may qualify for listing if it is endangered or threatened throughout all its range or a significant portion of its range. If a species is found to be endangered or threatened throughout a significant portion of its range, the entire species is listed as endangered or threatened, respectively, and the Act’s protections apply to all individuals of the species wherever found.

 

For this species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considered whether the portion may (1) occur in a unique habitat or ecoregion for the species, (2) contains high quality or high-value habitat relative to the remaining portions of the range, (3) contains habitat essential to a specific life-history function of the species, or (4) contains a large geographic portion of suitable habitat relative to remaining portions of the range for the species. The Florida Keys portion encompasses the vast majority of the intact pine rocklands and rockland hammock habitats (82 percent) within the species’ range. The Service found that this portion is significant to the rim rock crowned snake.

Critical habitat is a legal designation under the Endangered Species Act made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It identifies specific geographic areas that contain features essential to the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management or protection.

This final listing rule does not designate critical habitat. A species receives the protections associated with listing regardless of whether critical habitat is designated.

Supporting materials used in preparing this final rule and comments and materials received are available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov at Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2019-0106. 

For more information contact Nikki Colangelo, Classification and Recovery, 772-226-8138, Florida Ecological Services Field Office, 777 37th Street, Suite D-101, Vero Beach, Florida 32960. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service at 800–877–8339.