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Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 250 / Wednesday, December 30, 1998 / Proposed Rules 71855 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR during normal business hours at the of each cave visited during the study above address. and presents information obtained from Fish and Wildlife Service FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: invertebrate collections. Veni's (1994a) report delineates six 50 CFR Part 17 Alisa Shull, Supervisory Fish and Wildlife Biologist (see ADDRESSES karst areas (hereafter referred to as karst RIN 1018±AF33 section) (telephone 512/490±0057; fauna regions) within Bexar County. The facsimile 512/490±0974). karst fauna regions he discusses are Endangered and Threatened Wildlife Stone Oak, UTSA (University of Texas SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: and Plants; Proposal to List Nine at San Antonio), Helotes, Government Bexar County, Texas Invertebrate Background Canyon, Culebra Anticline, and Alamo Species as Endangered Rhadine exilis and Rhadine infernalis Heights. The boundaries of these karst fauna regions are geological or AGENCY: were first collected in 1959 and Fish and Wildlife Service geographical features that may represent Interior. described by Barr and Lawrence (1960) as Agonum exile and Agonum infernale, obstructions to troglobite movement (on ACTION: Proposed rule. an evolutionary time scale) that have respectively. Barr (1974) assigned the resulted in the present-day distribution SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife species to the genus Rhadine. Batrisodes of endemic (restricted in distribution) Service, propose to list nine cave- venyivi was first collected in 1984 and karst invertebrates in the San Antonio dwelling invertebrates from Bexar described by Chandler (1992). Texella County, Texas as endangered species region. cokendolpheri was first collected in The harvestman Texella under the Endangered Species Act of 1982 and described in Ubick and Briggs 1973, as amended (Act). Rhadine exilis cokendolpheri, Robber Baron Cave (1992). Cicurina baronia, Cicurina harvestman, is known only from Robber (no common name) and Rhadine madla, Cicurina venii, and Cicurina infernalis (no common name) are small, Baron cave in the Alamo Heights karst vespera were first collected in 1969, fauna region on private property. The essentially eyeless ground beetles. 1963, 1980, and 1965, respectively. Batrisodes venyivi (Helotes mold beetle) cave entrance has been donated to the They were all described by Gertsch Texas Cave Management Association is a small, eyeless mold beetle. Texella (1992). Neoleptoneta microps was first cokendolpheri (Robber Baron Cave (George Veni, Veni & Associates, pers. collected in 1965 and described by comm. 1995), which will likely be harvestman) is a small, eyeless Gertsch (1974) as Leptoneta microps. harvestman (daddy-longlegs). Cicurina interested in protection and The species was reassigned to improvement of the cave habitat. baronia (Robber Baron cave spider), Neoleptoneta following Brignoli (1977) Cicurina madla (Madla's cave spider), However, this cave is relatively large, and Platnick (1986). and the land over and around the cave Cicurina venii (no common name), These nine invertebrates are obligate Cicurina vespera (vesper cave spider), is heavily urbanized. The cave has also cave-dwelling species (troglobites) of been subject to extensive commercial and Neoleptoneta microps (Government local distribution in caves in Bexar Canyon cave spider) are all small and recreational use (Veni 1988). No County, Texas. The life habits of the confirmed specimens of T. eyeless, or essentially eyeless, spiders. species are not well known. They cokendolpheri were collected during the These species (referred to in this probably prey on the eggs, larvae, or 1993 status survey, but one Texella proposed rule as the ``nine adults of other cave invertebrates. harvestman collected at Robber Baron invertebrates'' are known from karst We funded a status survey (Veni Cave since completion of the status features (limestone formations 1994a; Redell 1993) of all nine species survey is highly likely to be this species containing caves, sinks, and fissures) in through a grant under section 6 of the (James Reddell, Texas Memorial north and northwest Bexar County. Act to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Museum, and Dr. Darrell Ubick, Threats to the species and their habitat Department (TPWD). Researchers California Academy of Sciences, pers. include destruction and/or deterioration obtained landowner permission to study comm. 1995). of habitat by construction; filling of and assess threats to 41 caves in north Batrisodes venyivi, the Helotes mold caves and karst features and loss of and northwest Bexar County, Texas. beetle, is known from only three caves permeable cover; contamination from Landowners denied permission to in the vicinity of Helotes, Texas, such things as septic effluent, sewer access an additional 36 caves that were northwest of San Antonio. Two of these leaks, run-off, and pesticides; predation believed likely to contain species of caves are located in the Helotes karst by and competition with non-native fire concern. All 77 caves had been fauna region on private property. The ants; and vandalism. This proposal also described to some extent before the owner of one of the caves within the constitutes our 12-month finding on a status survey was conducted. Four were Helotes karst fauna region has denied petition to list these nine invertebrates. already known to contain at least one of access in recent years, so Batrisodes This proposal, if made final, would the nine invertebrates. venyivi's status there is unknown. implement Federal protection provided During the status survey, the However, the cave is known to have by the Act for these species. researchers made a collection of the been heavily infested with fire ants DATES: Comments from all interested invertebrate fauna at each cave studied, (Solenopsis invicta) in the past (Reddell parties must be received by April 29, assessed the condition of the cave 1993). The owner of the second cave is 1999. Public hearing requests must be environment and threats to the species, very interested in protecting the cave received by February 16, 1999. and collected geological data. They used and the unique species inside. However, ADDRESSES: Send comments and this information to prepare two reports. fire ants are also present in the second materials concerning this proposal to One report discusses the overall karst locality. The collector of the specimen the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and geography in the San Antonio region from the third cave has declined to give Wildlife Service, Hartland Bank and the potential geologic and us a specific site collection record, but Building, 10711 Burnet Road, Suite 200, geographic barriers to karst invertebrate this cave may be located in the UTSA Austin, Texas 78758. Comments and migration and limits to their karst fauna region and likely lies on materials received will be available for distribution (Veni 1994a). The other private property (James Reddell, pers. public inspection, by appointment, report (Reddell 1993) details the fauna comm. 1997). 71856 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 250 / Wednesday, December 30, 1998 / Proposed Rules Rhadine exilis is known from 33 on private property in the UTSA karst officials in response to the 90-day caves in north and northwest Bexar fauna region. finding. Most of the comments were County. Nineteen are located on Cicurina vespera, the vesper cave similar in form, opposed the listing, and Department of Defense (DOD) land. The spider, has been found in only two requested that we delay making a 12- remainder are distributed among the caves. One is Government Canyon Bat month finding until the results of status Helotes, UTSA, and Stone Oak karst Cave in the Government Canyon State surveys conducted under section 6 of fauna regions, while one location lies in Natural Area, and the other is a cave 5 the Act were made available. Some the Government Canyon region. One is miles northeast of Helotes, the location commenters raised questions and issues located in a county road right-of-way, and name of which has not been regarding the status of the nine one is located in a state-owned natural revealed to us. invertebrates and the validity of the area, and the remainder are located on Neoleptoneta microps is known only science on which we based the 90-day private property. Ongoing efforts by the from the Government Canyon karst finding. We considered these comments DOD to locate and inventory karst fauna area from two caves within and information in preparing this features on Camp Bullis and to Government Canyon State Natural Area. proposed rule. document the karst fauna communities Threats to these species and their Eight of the nine invertebrates were in caves on Camp Bullis resulted in habitats include destruction and/or added to the Animal Notice of Review discovery of 18 of the 33 caves deterioration of habitat by commercial, as category 2 candidate species in the mentioned above (Veni 1994b; James residential, and road construction; Federal Register on November 15, 1994 Reddell, pers. comm. 1997). filling of caves, and loss of permeable (59 FR 58982). Rhadine exilis was cover; potential contamination from Rhadine infernalis is known from 25 presented with the other eight species in such things as septic effluent, sewer caves. This species occurs in five of the February of 1994 to be added to the leaks, run-off, and pesticides; predation six karst fauna regionsÐHelotes, UTSA, November 15, 1994, notice of review, by
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