Designation of Critical Habitat for Seven Bexar County, Texas, Invertebrate Species; Final Rule
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Tuesday, April 8, 2003 Part II Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for Seven Bexar County, Texas, Invertebrate Species; Final Rule VerDate Jan<31>2003 18:50 Apr 07, 2003 Jkt 200001 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4717 Sfmt 4717 E:\FR\FM\08APR2.SGM 08APR2 17156 Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 67 / Tuesday, April 8, 2003 / Rules and Regulations DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ‘‘karst’’ refers to a type of terrain that is Cave spider, and Braken Bat Cave formed by the slow dissolution of meshweaver, respectively. Fish and Wildlife Service calcium carbonate from limestone Individuals of the listed species are bedrock by mildly acidic groundwater. small, ranging in length from 1 50 CFR Part 17 This process creates numerous cave millimeter (0.039 inch (in)) to 1 RIN 1018–AI47 openings, cracks, fissures, fractures, and centimeter (0.39 in). They are eyeless, or sinkholes, and the bedrock resembles a essentially eyeless, and most lack Endangered and Threatened Wildlife honeycomb. pigment. Low quantities of food in caves and Plants; Designation of Critical As a result of climatic changes have caused adaptations in these Habitat for Seven Bexar County, TX, beginning two million years ago and species, including low metabolism, long Invertebrate Species lasting until ten thousand years ago, legs for efficient movement, and loss of invertebrate species colonized caves and eyes, possibly as an energy-saving trade- AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, other subterranean voids (Barr 1968; off (Howarth 1983). Survival may be Interior. Mitchell and Reddell 1971; Elliott and possible from months to years with little ACTION: Final rule. Reddell 1989). Species that dwell or no food (Howarth 1983). Adult exclusively in caves and other Cicurina spiders have survived in SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and subterranean voids are referred to as captivity without food for about 4 Wildlife Service (Service), designate ‘‘troglobites.’’ Through faulting and months (James Cokendolpher, Museum critical habitat for seven endangered canyon downcutting, the karst terrain of Texas Tech University, pers. comm. invertebrate species found in Bexar colonized by these species along the 2002). County, Texas, pursuant to the Balcones Fault Zone (a zone Although little is known about the life Endangered Species Act of 1973, as approximately 25 kilometers (km) in history of listed Texas troglobitic amended (Act). The critical habitat width, extending from the northeast invertebrates, they are believed to live designation totals approximately 431 corner of Bexar County to the western for longer than 1 year. This belief is hectares (1,063 acres) in 22 units. edge of the County) became increasingly based, in part, on the amount of time Section 7 of the Act requires Federal dissected, creating ‘‘islands’’ of karst some juveniles have been kept in agencies to ensure, in consultation with and barriers to dispersal. These captivity without maturing (Veni and the Service, that actions they authorize, ‘‘islands’’ isolated troglobitic Associates 1999; James Reddell, Texas fund, or carry out are not likely to result populations from each other, probably Memorial Museum, pers. comm. 2000). in the destruction or adverse resulting in further speciation. For example, James Cokendolpher modification of critical habitat. Section The following nine Bexar County, (Museum of Texas Tech University, 4 of the Act requires us to consider Texas, troglobitic invertebrate species pers. comm. 2002) maintained a economic and other impacts when were listed as endangered on December juvenile troglobitic Cicurina spider from specifying any particular area as critical 26, 2000 (65 FR 81419): spider (no May 1999 through April 2002. habitat. We solicited data and comments common name) (Cicurina venii), Robber Reproductive rates of troglobites are from the public on all aspects of the Baron Cave harvestman (Texella typically low (Poulson and White 1969; proposed rule, including data on cokendolpheri), vesper cave spider Howarth 1983). According to surveys economic and other impacts of the (Cicurina vespera), Government Canyon conducted by Culver (1986), Elliott designation. As a result of comments cave spider (Neoleptoneta microps), (1994a), and Hopper (2000), population and information received, we are not Madla’s cave spider (Cicurina madla), sizes of troglobitic invertebrates are designating critical habitat as originally Robber Baron cave spider (Cicurina typically small, with most species proposed for two species that occur baronia), beetle (no common name) known from only a few specimens entirely on State-owned lands that are (Rhadine exilis), beetle (no common (Culver et al. 2000). subject to a conservation plan. name) (Rhadine infernalis), and Helotes As described below, the primary habitat requirements of these species DATES: This rule becomes effective on mold beetle (Batrisodes venyivi). These May 8, 2003. are karst dwelling species of local include: (1) Subterranean spaces in karst distribution in north and northwest with stable temperatures, high ADDRESSES: Comments and materials Bexar County. They spend their entire humidities (near saturation), and received, as well as supporting lives underground. suitable substrates (for example, spaces documentation used in the preparation Since publication of the listing final between and underneath rocks suitable of this final rule, are available for public rule, the common names for the for foraging and sheltering); and (2) a inspection, by appointment, during following six arachnid species have healthy surface community of native normal business hours at the Austin been changed as a result of a meeting of plants and animals that provide nutrient Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. the Committee on Common Names of input and, in the case of native plants, Fish and Wildlife Service, 10711 Burnet Arachnids of the American act to buffer the karst ecosystem from Road, Suite 200, Austin, Texas 78758. Arachnological Society in 2000. adverse effects (for example, invasions FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Accordingly, we are changing the of nonnative species, contaminants, and Robert Pine, Supervisor, U.S. Fish and common names of the species currently fluctuations in temperature and Wildlife Service, Austin Ecological in the list of Endangered and humidity). These karst invertebrates Services Field Office, at the above Threatened Wildlife (50 CFR 17.11) as require stable temperatures and address (telephone 512/490–0057; Robber Baron Cave harvestman, Robber constant, high humidity (Barr 1968; facsimile 512/490–0974). Baron cave spider, Madla’s cave spider, Mitchell 1971a) because they are SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: vesper cave spider, Government Canyon vulnerable to desiccation in drier cave spider, and one with no common habitats (Howarth 1983) or cannot Background name (Cicurina venii) to Cokendolpher detect or cope with more extreme The seven species for which we are cave harvestman, Robber Baron Cave temperatures (Mitchell 1971a). designating critical habitat in this meshweaver, Madla Cave meshweaver, Temperatures in caves typically remain rulemaking inhabit caves or other Government Canyon Bat Cave at the average annual surface features known as karst. The term meshweaver, Government Canyon Bat temperature, with little variation VerDate Jan<31>2003 18:50 Apr 07, 2003 Jkt 200001 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4700 E:\FR\FM\08APR2.SGM 08APR2 Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 67 / Tuesday, April 8, 2003 / Rules and Regulations 17157 (Howarth 1983; Dunlap 1995). Relative Gap Chalk (Veni 1988). The Edwards Endangered Karst Invertebrate humidity is typically near 100 percent Limestone accounts for one-third of the Distribution in caves that support troglobitic cavernous rock in Bexar County and As of December 2002, 475 caves were invertebrates (Elliott and Reddell 1989). contains 60 percent of the caves, making known to occur in Bexar County, some During temperature extremes, the listed it the most cavernous unit in the of which have been biologically species may retreat into small County. The Austin Chalk outcrop is surveyed for listed species (Veni 2002). interstitial spaces (human-inaccessible) second to the Edwards in total number At least 97 of the 475 caves were sealed connected to a cave, where the physical of caves. In Bexar County, the outcrop or destroyed before they could be environment provides the required of the upper member of the Glen Rose biologically surveyed (Veni 2002). Not humidity and temperature levels Formation accounts for approximately all of the remaining caves in Bexar (Howarth 1983). These species may one-third of the cavernous rock, but County have been adequately surveyed spend the majority of their time in such only 12.5 percent of Bexar County caves for invertebrates. It is likely that some retreats, only leaving them to forage in (Veni 1988). In Bexar County, the Pecan of these caves will be found to contain the larger cave passages (Howarth 1987). Gap Chalk, while generally not one or more of the listed species. When Since sunlight is absent or present in cavernous, has a greater than expected the species were listed as endangered in extremely low levels in caves, most density of caves and passages (Veni December 2000, the Service knew of 57 karst ecosystems depend on nutrients 1988). occupied caves. When critical habitat derived from the surface either directly Veni (1994) delineated six karst areas was proposed in Bexar County