Helminthoglypta Morroensis
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U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE SPECIES ASSESSMENT AND LISTING PRIORITY ASSIGNMENT FORM SCIENTIFIC NAME: Helminthoglypta morroensis COMMON NAME: Chorro shoulderband snail LEAD REGION: Pacific Southwest Region, Region 8 DATE INFORMATION CURRENT AS OF: June 2018 STATUS/ACTION X Species assessment – determined either we do not have sufficient information on threats or the information on the threats does not support a proposal to list the species and, therefore, it was not elevated to Candidate status ___ Listed species petitioned for uplisting for which we have made a warranted-but-precluded finding for uplisting (this is part of the annual resubmitted petition finding) ___ Candidate that received funding for a proposed listing determination; assessment not updated ___ New candidate ___ Continuing candidate ___ Listing priority number change Former LPN: ___ New LPN: ___ ___ Candidate removal: Former LPN: ___ ___ A – Taxon is more abundant or widespread than previously believed or not subject to the degree of threats sufficient to warrant issuance of a proposed listing or continuance of candidate status. U – Taxon not subject to the degree of threats sufficient to warrant issuance of a proposed listing or continuance of candidate status due, in part or totally, to conservation efforts that remove or reduce the threats to the species. ___ F – Range is no longer a U.S. territory. I – Insufficient information exists on taxonomy, or biological vulnerability and threats, to support listing. ___ M – Taxon mistakenly included in past notice of review. ___ N – Taxon does not meet the Act’s definition of “species.” ___ X – Taxon believed to be extinct. Date when the species first became a Candidate (as currently defined): n/a Petition Information: _X_ Non-petitioned ___ Petitioned; Date petition received: 90-day substantial finding FR publication date: 12-month warranted but precluded finding FR publication date: PREVIOUS FEDERAL ACTIONS: In 1994, we listed Helminthoglypta walkeriana as endangered (59 FR 64613). This taxon contained to two subspecific entities: H. walkeriana and H. walkeriana morroensis. At the time of listing, we thought the subspecific entity morroensis was extinct, and also speculated that there may have been as few as several hundred individuals of Helminthoglypta walkeriana remaining (59 FR 64615). In 1997, the subspecific entity morroensis was rediscovered at North Point Natural Area near the northern limit of Morro Bay (Roth and Tupen 2004, p. 3). In subsequent years it was found in other areas as well. In 1998 we completed a Recovery Plan for the Morro Shoulderband Snail and Four Plants from Western San Luis Obispo County (Service 1998, entire) and in 2001 designated critical habitat (66 FR 9233). Both the recovery plan and critical habitat addressed only Helminthoglypta walkeriana and not the subspecific entity morroensis, as we did not consider the morroensis subspecies to be part of the listed entity. In 2004, a taxonomic analysis was completed that elevated these subspecific taxa to full species: Helminthoglypta walkeriana and H. morroensis (Roth and Tupen 2004, entire). After 2004, H. walkeriana and H. morroensis were associated with the common names Morro shoulderband snail and Chorro shoulderband snail, respectively. Also in 2004, the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office issued a “Dear Stakeholders and Interested Parties” letter stating we would no longer be regulating the Chorro shoulderband snail (Service 2004, entire). The final listing rule does not clarify whether or not the morroensis subspecies was included in the listing. In moving forward, the Service did not consider the morroensis subspecies to be part of the listed entity, and thus the 1998 Recovery plan and the 2001 critical habitat designation did not address morroensis. However, we do recognize that in 2006, the Service completed a 5- Year Review for both the Morro and Chorro shoulderband snail and recommended downlisting Morro shoulderband snail from endangered to threatened and delisting of Chorro shoulderband snail (Service 2006, entire). Since then, we have considered that only the scientific name Helminthoglypta walkeriana was added to the list of endangered and threatened wildlife, and H. morroensis was not added to the list. Because the entity Helminthoglypta morroensis was never added to the endangered species list, we have determined that it is most appropriate to now complete a listing assessment to determine whether or not the Chorro shoulderband snail meets the definition of threatened or endangered. 2 ANIMAL/PLANT GROUP AND FAMILY: Animalia Mollusca Gastropoda Helminthoglyptidae Helminthoglypta morroensis HISTORICAL STATES/TERRITORIES/COUNTRIES OF OCCURRENCE: San Luis Obispo County, California CURRENT STATES/COUNTIES/TERRITORIES/COUNTRIES OF OCCURRENCE: San Luis Obispo County, California LAND OWNERSHIP Within the estimated 28,600-hectare (ha) (70,650-acre (ac)) range of the Chorro shoulderband snail, the majority of lands (~84 percent) are within private ownership under the jurisdiction of the City of San Luis Obispo or County of San Luis Obispo. Approximately 7 percent of the range is part of the California Army National Guard at Camp San Luis Obispo, with the remaining non- private lands being under the ownership of the State of California (~5 percent), City of San Luis Obispo (~3 percent), and County of San Luis Obispo (~1 percent). LEAD REGION CONTACT Sabrina West, Pacific Southwest Region LEAD FIELD OFFICE CONTACT Julie Vanderwier, Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION The Species Status Assessment (SSA) for the Morro Shoulderband Snail (Helminthoglypta walkeriana) and Chorro Shoulderband Snail (Helminthoglypta morroensis)) is a summary of the information assembled and reviewed by us and incorporates the best scientific and commercial information available for the Chorro shoulderband snail. In the SSA, in order to evaluate the biological status of the species both currently and into the future, we assessed a range of conditions to allow us to consider the species’ resiliency, redundancy, and representation. This species assessment represents a summary of the biological information provided in the SSA 3 Report. For more detailed information on the species' biology and natural history, as well as an assessment of demographic risks, stressors, and limiting factors in the context of determining the viability and risks of extinction for the species, please refer to the SSA Report (Service 2019, entire). In this species assessment, we focus on the status of the Chorro shoulderband snail. We will publish a separate document discussing the status of the Morro shoulderband snail. However, since there are limited data available on the biology of and threats impacting the Chorro shoulderband snail, in some places, we use information for the Morro shoulderband snail as a surrogate, as the two are closely related and, based on the best available information, have similar life history characteristics and habitat use. Species Description Like other species in the genus Helminthoglypta, the shells of both the Morro shoulderband snail and the Chorro shoulderband snail are heliciform (shaped like a spiral), umbilicate (having a depression in the center), and reddish brown to chestnut in color. They have a single characteristic, narrow, dark spiral band on the “shoulder” with thin light yellowish margins above and below (Hemphill 1911, p. 102; Roth 1985, p. 5). Shell characteristics form the basis of all historic descriptions of the Morro and Chorro shoulderband snails, with no reference to or descriptions of the soft anatomy (Roth and Tupen 2004, p. 2). The shells of the Chorro shoulderband snail is more depressed (lesser shell height/shell width ratio) than the shells of the Morro shoulderband snail and have a larger, less occluded umbilicus (Tupen and Roth 2005, p. 10). The sculpture of the shell is profusely granular or intensely papillose (covered with small, round protrusions), with weak to absent incised spiral grooves on the body whorl. Incised spiral grooves, a key sculptural feature of the shell/body whorl of Morro shoulderband snails, are generally overridden by intense papillation on the shell of the Chorro Figure 1. Chorro Shoulderband Snail. Dan shoulderband snail (Roth 1973, p. 151; Walgren Dugan, EcoVision Partners 2003a, p. 10). In addition to the extreme papillation, Roth (1973, p. 151) indicated decreased whorl number for the Chorro shoulderband snail and Walgren (2003a, p. 93) suggested an overall smaller size at maturation. Roth and Tupen (2004, Figure 2) show no significant difference in size between Morro and Chorro shoulderband snails or among populations of the Chorro shoulderband snail. Based upon this research, Tupen (2018, pers. comm.) postulates that observed size differences are likely more a site-specific phenotypic response to some environmental factor(s). 4 Taxonomy The Chorro shoulderband snail belongs to the land snail genus, Helminthoglypta (Ancey 1887), which contains three subgenera that comprise more than 100 species and subspecies. Helminthoglypta is a large genus primarily found throughout California but also ranging north into southern Oregon and south into Baja California, Mexico inclusive of its offshore islands. The banded dune snail was first described as Helix walkeriana by Hemphill (1911, entire) based on collections made in San Luis Obispo County near “Morro, California.” Hemphill also described a subspecific taxon of Helix walkeriana, variety morroensis, from near “San Luis