In response to a petition to list the Jemez Mountains salamander (Plethodon neomexicanus) (salamander) as threatened or endangered and designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (Act), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced today that the petition does provide substantial information indicating that listing the salamander may be warranted and will begin a one year status review.
A 60 day public comment period begins today, August 10, 2009, and will close on October 9, 2009. All comments must be received by the Service on or before that date to allow us adequate time to conduct this review.
The Jemez Mountains salamander is a member of the family of lungless salamanders (Plethodontidae), the largest family of salamanders. The salamander is a strictly terrestrial salamander that breathes through its skin and requires a moist microhabitat at all times. It is uniformly dark brown above, with occasional fine gold/brassy stippling on the back and sides, and has a sooty gray underside. The body is slender and elongate, and it has web feet.
The current and historical range of the salamander is in mixed-conifer forests in the Jemez Mountains in northern New Mexico. The salamander is primarily found on Forest Service lands, but also occurs on the Valles Caldera National Preserve, Bandelier National Monument, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and private lands.
To ensure that the status review is complete and based on the best available scientific and commercial information, we are requesting information from the public, other concerned governmental agencies, Native American Tribes, the scientific community, industry, or any other interested parties concerning the status of the salamander. We are seeking information regarding:
(1) The historical and current status and distribution of the Jemez Mountains salamander, its biology and ecology, and ongoing conservation measures for the species and its habitat;
(2) The species’ population size and population trend;
(3) Its taxonomy; and
(4) Information relevant to the factors that are the basis for making a listing determination for a species under section 4(a) of the Endangered Species Act, which are:
(a) The present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of the species’ habitat or range;
(b) Overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes;
(c) Disease or predation;
(d) The inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; or
(e) Other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence and threats to the species or its habitat.
You may submit information by one of the following methods:
- Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for docket FWS-R2-ES-2009-0041 and then follow the instructions for submitting comments.
- U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R2-ES-2009-0041; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222; Arlington, VA 22203.
We will post all information and materials we receive, as well as supporting documentation we used in preparing this finding on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any personal information you provide us. All documents will be available for public inspection on or by appointment, during normal business hours, at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New Mexico Ecological Services Office.
For further information contact Wally "J" Murphy, Field Supervisor, New Mexico Ecological Services Office, 2105 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113, by telephone (505-346-2525) or by facsimile (505-346-2542). Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-877-8339.
