U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PUBLISHES UPDATED LIST OF CANDIDATES FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT LISTING

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today published a revised list of species of plants and animals that may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act, including 26 new candidate species added since the Candidate Notice of Review was last published in 2002.

If the Service has sufficient information to propose listing a species as threatened or endangered, but is precluded from taking action by other, higher listing priorities, the species becomes a candidate species.

The Service publishes an updated Candidate Notice of Review primarily to solicit new information on the status of candidate species and threats to their survival. Service biologists rely on a variety of sources for the scientific determination of whether a species may warrant listing under the Act, including information from private, university and government scientists, local, State and Federal land management and planning agencies and private citizens.

The Notice also informs the public about species the Service is considering proposing for protection, and it encourages conservation of candidate species. In addition, the Notice includes 24 domestic animal species that have already been proposed for addition to the list of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants, but for which a final listing determination has not been made. A proposal undergoes public review and comment before a final decision is made.

"The candidate list is an important tool, helping to identify imperiled species and focusing attention on the need to conserve them before they have to receive Endangered Species Act protection. By working to recover these species now, in partnership with states, local communities and individuals, we can implement flexible, cost-effective conservation measures that put them on the road to recovery," said Service Director Steve Williams.

The Service has removed 19 species from the Candidate Species List since the lists were last revised in 2002:

• One species was removed because currently available information does not support a listing proposal.
• Four species were removed because the proposal to list them was withdrawn.
• Fourteen proposed species became listed as endangered.

The complete Notice and list of candidates and proposed species appear in todays Federal Register. Species added to the candidate list since 2002 are listed below.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System

which encompasses more than 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and

other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 fishery resource offices and 81 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 fish and wildlife agencies.

- FWS -

For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov

Region

Fisher, West Coast Population (Martes pennanti) Pacific

California, Oregon, and Washington

Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris)

Alaskan coastal waters Alaska

Xantus' Murrelet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus)

U.S. and Mexican West Coast Pacific

Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog (Rana muscosa) Pacific

Sierra Nevada Distinct Population Segment

Yosemite Toad (Bufo canorus) Pacific

California

Round Ebonyshell (Fusconaia rotulata) Southeast

Southern Kidneyshell (Ptychobranchus jonesi) Southeast

Narrow Pigtoe (Fusconaia escambia) Southeast

Southern Sandshell (Lampsilis australis) Southeast

Fuzzy Pigtoe (Pleurobema strodeanum) Southeast

Choctaw Bean (Villosa choctawensis) Southeast

Tapered Pigtoe (Quincuncina burkei) Southeast

Rayed Bean (Villosa fabalis)

Entire Tennessee River system; southern Ohio River Midwest

Sheepnose Mussel (Plethobasus cyphyus)

Mississippi River system streams Midwest

Spectaclecase (Cumberlandia monodonta)

Streams in the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri Rivers Midwest

Coleman Cave Beetle (Pseudanophthalmus colemanensis)

Montgomery County, Tennessee Southeast

Fowler's Cave Beetle (Pseudanophthalmus fowlerae)

Clay County, Tennessee Southeast

Insular Cave Beetle (Pseudanophthalmus insularis)

Davidson County, Tenessee Southeast

Soothsayer Cave Beetle (Pseudanophthalmus tiresias)

DeKalb County, Tennessee Southeast

Noblett's Cave Beetle (Pseudanophthalmus paulus)

Monroe County, Tennessee Southeast

Nevares Spring Naucorid Bug (Ambrysus funebris)

Inyo County, California Pacific

Hala Pepe (Pleomele fernaldii)

Hawaiian of Lanai Pacific

Brand's Phacelia (Phacelia stellaris)

San Diego County, Riverside County, California Pacific

Churchill Narrows Buckwheat (Eriogonum diatomaceum)

Lyon County, Nevada Pacific

Orcutt's Hazardia (Hazardia orcuttii)

Encinitas, California Pacific

Everglades Bully (Sideroxylon reclinatum ssp. austrofloridense)

Miami-Dade County, Florida Southeast

Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) Pacific

Columbia Basin Distinct Population Segment

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

San Miguel Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis littoralis) Pacific

Channel Islands

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

San Miguel Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis catalinae) Pacific

Channel Islands

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

Santa Cruz Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis santacruzae) Pacific

Channel Islands

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

Santa Rosa Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis santarosae) Pacific

Channel Islands

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) Mountain-Prairie

Western U.S., Canada, Mexico

Reason for removal: Proposed listing withdrawn

California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense) Pacific

Sonoma County Distinct Population Segment

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog (Rana muscosa) Pacific

Southern California Distinct Population Segment

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

Coastal Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarki clarki) Pacific

Southwestern Washington/Columbia River Distinct Population Segment

Reason for removal: Proposed listing withdrawn

Tumbling Creek Cavesnail (Antrobia culveri) Midwest

Missouri

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

Carson wandering Skipper (Pseudocopaeodes eunus obscurus) Pacific

California, Nevada

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

Ambrosia (Ambrosia pumila) Pacific

San Diego

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

Slick Spot Peppergrass (Lepidium papilliferum) Pacific

Idaho

Reason for removal: Proposed listing withdrawn

Large-flowered Wooly Meadowfoam (Limnanthes floccosa grandiflora) Pacific

Oregon

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

Cooks Lomatium (Lomatium cookii) Pacific

Oregon

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

No Common Name (Nesogenes rotensis) Pacific

Mariana Islands

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

CYRNo Common Name (Osmoxylon mariannense) Pacific

Mariana Islands

Reason for removal: Listed as endangered

No Common Name (Tabernaemontana rotensis) Pacific

Mariana Islands, Guam

Reason for removal: Proposed listing withdrawn

No Common Name (Dryopteris glabra var. pusilla (=Dryopteris tenebrosa)) Pacific

Hawaii

Reason for removal: Information currently available does not support listing