The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed initial reviews of Endangered Species Act (ESA) petitions to list four species: the Arizona eryngo (plant), giraffe, Refugio manzanita (plant) and San Gabriel chestnut snail. The Service has concluded that the petitions to list the Arizona eryngo and giraffe present substantial information that listing may be warranted; accordingly, the Service will begin an in-depth review of each species. The petitions for the Refugio manzanita and San Gabriel Chestnut snail did not present substantial information that listing may be warranted and no further action will be taken.
The Service finds that the petition to list the giraffe presented substantial information on potential threats associated with development, agriculture and mining. Other threats identified by the petition that the Service will seek to verify include commercial trade, recreational hunting, poaching, disease, small populations and genetic isolation.
The Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group established under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission recognizes a single species of giraffe with nine subspecies. Giraffes currently inhabit 21 African countries, having been extirpated from at least seven countries in their historical range. Some remaining populations are stable or increasing, while others are declining.
The Arizona eryngo is a wildflower occurring only in two Arizona ciénegas or wet spring habitats and one in northwestern Mexico. The petition included information on the effects of groundwater pumping, spring modification and surface water diversion.
The Refugio manzanita is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to about 15 feet tall with striking red bark and urn-shaped flowers. The plant’s only populations occur in the Santa Ynez Mountains. The San Gabriel chestnut snail is one of only two species in its taxonomic group. It is dark and glossy, with a spiraled shell that is chestnut in color and just over 1 inch wide.
While both the snail and manzanita occur within very limited areas, the Service found adequate and protected habitats exist for both species. Additionally, the petition did not provide substantial information indicating that identified threats may have sufficient impacts to warrant listing.
The ESA allows citizens to petition the Service to add new species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants, remove species from the list, and to reclassify species already on the list.
The Federal Register docket numbers and links for the substantial petition findings in this batch are:
Species | Range | Docket Number | Docket link |
Arizona eryngo | Arizona, Mexico | FWS–R2–ES–2018–0087 | |
Giraffe | 21 African countries | FWS–HQ–ES–2017–0101 |
The Federal Register docket numbers and links for the not-substantial petition findings in this batch are:
Species | Range | Docket Number | Docket link |
Refugio manzanita | California | FWS–R8–ES–2018–0088 | |
San Gabriel chestnut snail | California | FWS–R8–ES–2018–0089 |
The notice for the above findings will be available in the Federal Register Reading Room on April 25, 2019 at https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection on the 2018 Notices link under Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.
For more information on the ESA listing process, including 90-day findings and status reviews, please go to www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/pdf/listing.pdf.
