2002 Federal Register, 67 FR 76029
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Tuesday, December 10, 2002 Part VI Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for Deinandra conjugens (Otay tarplant); Final Rule VerDate 0ct<31>2002 11:32 Dec 09, 2002 Jkt 200001 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4717 Sfmt 4717 E:\FR\FM\10DER4.SGM 10DER4 76030 Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 237 / Tuesday, December 10, 2002 / Rules and Regulations DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR accepted by the scientific community, Information Systems (GIS) analysis, we are changing the name of Hemizonia most current and historical Deinandra Fish and Wildlife Service conjugens to Deinandra conjugens in 50 conjugens occurrences are found on clay CFR 17.12 (h), and will use Deinandra soils or lenses in one of the following 50 CFR Part 17 conjugens in this final rule. soil series: Diablo; Olivenhain; Linne; RIN 1018–AH00 Deinandra conjugens was first Salinas; Huerhuero; Auld; Bosanko; described by David D. Keck (1958) as Friant; and San Miguel-Exchequer rocky Endangered and Threatened Wildlife Hemizonia conjugens based on a silt loams (Bauder et al. 2002). and Plants; Designation of Critical specimen collected by L.R. Abrams in The occurrence of Deinandra Habitat for Deinandra conjugens (Otay 1903 from river bottom land in the Otay conjugens is also strongly associated tarplant) Valley area of San Diego County, with particular vegetation types. The California. Deinandra conjugens is a species is found in vegetation AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, glandular, aromatic annual plant in the communities classified as, but not Interior. Asteraceae. It has a branching stem that limited to, grasslands, open coastal sage ACTION: Final rule. generally ranges from 5 to 25 scrub, maritime succulent scrub, and centimeters (2 to 10 inches) in height the margins of some disturbed sites and SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and with deep green or gray-green leaves cultivated fields (CNDDB 2002; Keck Wildlife Service (Service), designate covered with soft, shaggy hairs. The 1959; Keil 1993; CNPS 2001; David critical habitat for Deinandra conjugens yellow flower heads are composed of 8 Hogan, San Diego Biodiversity Project, [= Hemizonia conjugens] (Otay tarplant) to 10 ray flowers and 13 to 21 disk in litt. 1990; Bruce Baldwin, Jepson pursuant to the Endangered Species Act flowers with hairless or sparingly Herbarium, pers. comm., 2001; Mark of 1973, as amended (Act). Deinandra downy corollas (fused petals). The Dodero, RECON, pers. comm., 2001; conjugens was federally listed as phyllaries (small bracts associated with Scott McMillan, McMillan Biological threatened (under the name Hemizonia the flower heads) are ridged and have Consulting, pers. comm., 2001). Plant conjugens) throughout its range in short-stalked glands and large, stalkless, species common to these vegetation southwestern California and flat glands near the margins. Deinandra communities include Nassella spp. northwestern Estado de Baja California, conjugens occurs within the range of (needlegrass), Bloomeria crocea Mexico in 1998. The designation Deinandra fasciculata [=H. fasciculata] (common goldenstar), Dichelostemma includes approximately 2,560 hectares (fasciculated tarplant) and Deinandra pulchella (blue dicks), Chlorogalum (ha) (6,330 acres (ac)) in San Diego paniculata [=H. paniculata] (San Diego spp. (soap plant), Bromus spp. (brome County, California, as critical habitat for tarplant). Deinandra conjugens can be grass), Avena spp. (oats), Deinandra Deinandra conjugens. distinguished from other members of fasciculata (fasciculated tarweed), DATES: The effective date of this rule is the genus by its ridged phyllaries, black Lasthenia californica (common January 9, 2003. anthers (part of flower that produces goldfields), Artemisia californica ADDRESSES: You may inspect the pollen), and by the number of disk and (California sagebrush), Eriogonum supporting record for this rule at the ray flowers. The disk and ray flowers fasciculatum (flat-top buckwheat), Lotus Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. each produce different types of seeds scoparius (deer weed), Salvia spp. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6010 Hidden (heterocarpy), which has been (sage), Mimulus aurantiacus (bush Valley Road, Carlsbad, CA 92009, by correlated to differential germination monkeyflower), Malacothamnus appointment during normal business responses (Tanowitz et al. 1987). fasciculatum (bushmallow), Malosma hours. Most known Deinandra conjugens laurina (laurel sumac), Rhus ovata occurrences are closely associated with (sugar bush), R. integrifolia (lemonade FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim particular soils, vegetation types, and berry), Lycium spp. (boxthorn), Bartel, Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish elevation range. The majority of Euphorbia misera (cliff spurge), and Wildlife Office, at the above Deinandra conjugens occurrences are Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba), Opuntia address; telephone 760/431–9440, associated with clay soils and with spp. (prickly pear and cholla cactuses), facsimile 760/431–5902. Information grasslands, coastal sage scrub, or Ferocactus viridescens (coastal barrel regarding this designation is available in maritime succulent scrub. Information cactus), Ambrosia chenopodiifolia (San alternate formats upon request. from herbarium records at the San Diego Diego bur sage), and Dudleya spp. (live- SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Natural History Museum (SDNHM) and forevers). data from the California Natural Information acquired since the listing Background Diversity Database (CNDDB 2002) indicates that the historical range for Deinandra conjugens (Otay tarplant) records indicates that Deinandra Deinandra conjugens in San Diego was known as Hemizonia conjugens conjugens has a narrow geographic and County, California, is extended from the when it was listed on October 13, 1998 elevation range. Mexican border north to Spring Valley (63 FR 54938). Since then, studies The distribution of Deinandra and Paradise Valley, a distance of about analyzing plant and floral morphology conjugens is strongly correlated with 24 kilometers (km) (15 miles (mi)), and and genetic information prompted clayey soils, subsoils, or lenses (isolated from Interstate 805 east to Otay Lakes Baldwin (1999) to revise the Madiinae area of clay soil) (Bauder et al. 2002). Reservoir, a distance of about 13 km (8 (tarplants), a tribe in the Asteraceae Such soils typically support grasslands, mi) (herbarium records at the SDNHM (sunflower family), and reclassify but may support some woody and CNDDB 2002). Further, based on several taxa into new or different vegetation. Much of the area with clay museum specimens and database genera. As a result, Deinandra soils and subsoils within the historical records, the elevational range for conjugens is now the accepted scientific range of Deinandra conjugens likely was Deinandra conjugens appears to be name for Hemizonia conjugens. This once vegetated with native grassland, between 25 and 300 meters (m) (80 and taxonomic change does not alter the open coastal sage scrub and maritime 1,000 feet (ft)). limits or definition of Deinandra succulent scrub, which provided Typically, Deinandra conjugens and conjugens. Because this taxonomic suitable habitat for Deinandra other tarplants cannot produce viable change was published and is generally conjugens. Based on Geographic seeds without cross pollinating with VerDate 0ct<31>2002 11:32 Dec 09, 2002 Jkt 200001 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4700 E:\FR\FM\10DER4.SGM 10DER4 Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 237 / Tuesday, December 10, 2002 / Rules and Regulations 76031 other individuals (i.e., are essentially population varies annually due to a However, the number of standing plants self-incompatible) (Keck 1959; Tanowitz number of factors, including the amount from year to year can be highly variable. 1982; B. Baldwin, in litt. 2001). Gene and timing of rainfall, temperature, soil As testament to this variability, the flow among plant populations through conditions, and the extent and nature of species was thought to be extinct within pollination is important for the long- the seed bank. Large annual fluctuations its range until its rediscovery in Estado term survival of self-incompatible in the number of standing plants in a de Baja California, Mexico in 1977 species (Ellstrand 1992). Gene flow in given population have been (Tanowitz 1978). Conversely, the largest Deinandra conjugens is essentially documented. Population size has ranged population (Rancho San Miguel) achieved through pollen movement from 1 to over 5,400 standing plants at supported about 1.9 million plants among occurrences. Because small a site on northwest Otay Mesa (CNDDB during 1998 when southern California occurrences of Deinandra conjugens 2002; City of San Diego, in litt. 1999), experienced El Nino weather may facilitate greater gene flow, from approximately 100 to 50,000 at a conditions, which resulted in a conservation of these may be critical to site in Rice Canyon (CNDDB 2002), and particularly wet and prolonged growing maintaining genetic diversity in from approximately 280,000 to 1.9 season (Merkel & Associates, in litt. Deinandra conjugens. Likely pollinators million at San Miguel Ranch South 1999). of Deinandra conjugens include, but are (CNDDB 2002; Merkel & Associates, in By 1998, the five largest populations not limited to, bee flies (Bombylliidae); litt. 1999). In any given year, the of Deinandra conjugens (Rancho San hover flies (Syrphidae); digger bees observable plants in a population