In the United States, limoncillo occurs only in Cameron County, Texas, on the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. However, in Mexico the plant is common in the states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon.
"While much of the U.S. population of limoncillo has been lost, the species is still common in some parts of Mexico," said Nancy Kaufman, the Services regional director for the Southwest Region.
Limoncillo, a member of the citrus family, reaches 10 to 20 meters in height and has glossy dark green leaves and smooth green bark. The species is an evergreen, except during extreme drought when it loses its leaves.
The U.S. population of limoncillo consists of 15 trees in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Of five populations of limoncillo reported to have occurred in the United States, all but one were lost to habitat destruction. In the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, populations of this species are locally common in moist canyons on rocky, talus slopes. Limoncillo is used as a source of "living fenceposts" in Mexico where it is readily cultivated.
In 1994, the Service received a petition to list the species as endangered in the United States. A moratorium on the Services listing program, followed by guidance that designated petition findings as lower priority listing actions, precluded a final decision on this action until now.
The Endangered Species Act precludes the listing of distinct population segments of plants and invertebrate species, instead requiring that these groups be listed throughout their range. In this case, the Service found limoncillo does not meet the requirements of the Act for listing throughout its range, despite a limited U.S. population. The Service will continue to protect the population on the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
The Service published its decision in todays Federal Register. For further information about the petition finding or to provide comments, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, Campus Box 338, 6300 Ocean Dr., Corpus Christi, TX 78412 or call 361-994-9005 (361-994-8262 fax).
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprising more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies.
