CHISOS MOUNTAIN HEDGEHOG CACTUS (Echinocereus chisoensis var. chisoensis) RECOVERY PLAN U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Albuquerque, New Mexico CHISOS MOUNTAIN HEDGEHOG CACTUS (Eahinocereus chisoensis var chisoensis RECOVERY PLAN Prepared by: Kathryn Kennedy and Jackie Poole Texas Natural Heritage Program Endangered Resources Branch Resource Protection Division Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 3000 South 1—35, Suite 100 Austin, Texas *current address U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 611 East Sixth Street, Suite 407 Austin, Texas 78701 for Region 2 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Albuquerque, New Mexico Approved: ~%~ector,.Sgio . Fish and Wildlife Service Date: ) DISCLAIMER Recovery Plans delineate reasonable actions that are believed to be required to recover and/or protect listed species. Plans are published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, sometimes prepared with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, State agencies, and others. Objectives will be attained and any necessary funds made available subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved, as well as the need to address other priorities. Total recovery costs and dates for meeting objectives are estimates and are uncertain because the feasibility of several tasks in the plan are dependant on the results of other tasks. Recovery plans do not necessarily represent the views nor the official positions or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, other than the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They represent the official position of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ~ after they have been signed by the Regional Director or Director as aDDroved. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new findings, changes in species’ status, and the completion of recovery tasks. LITERATURE CITATIONS Literature Citations should read as follows: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1993. Chisos Mountain Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus chisoensis var. chisoensis) Recovery Plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 60 pp. Additional copies may be purchased from: Fish and Wildlife Reference Service 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110 Bethesda, MD 20814 (301) 492—3421 or 1—800—582—3421 The fee for the Plan varies depending on the number of pages of the Plan. i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR CHISOS MOUNTAIN HEDGEHOG CACTUS RECOVERY PLAN Current Species’ Status: Echinocereus chisoensis var. chisoensis is federally and state listed as threatened. The variety is an endemic cactus with a very narrow distribution in Brewster Co., Texas. only 11 small populations are known, all within 30 square miles (19,200 acres) in Big Bend National Park. Less than 1,000 plants are known, and the size and number of populations are believed to be declining. Habitat Requirements and Limiting Factors: The variety grows on alluvial flats with Chihuahuan Desert Scrub vegetation. Some researchers feel the area was previously arid grassland. The major threat to the variety is illegal collecting. Park development and maintenance activities could also be damaging. Past land management practices and changing climatic conditions may have caused habitat degradation and loss. Habitat needs are not understood and may be limiting recovery. Low population viability may also be limiting recovery. Recovery Objective: Delisting. Recovery Criteria: Establish 50 distinct populations, each consisting of at least 100 reproductive individuals, and demonstrate that the populations are demographically stable and reproductively successful over a 10—year monitoring period. Actions Needed 1. Protect present and newly discovered populations. 2. Establish a reserve germ bank/cultivated population. 3. Conduct biological studies necessary for successful management and restoration. 4. Search for additional populations. 5. Assess restoration feasibility and establish a pilot reintroduction program. 6. Develop a public education program. Estimated Total Cost of Recovery (Dollars X 1000): Year Need 1 Need 2 Need 3 Need 4 Need 5 Need 6 Total 1994 17.5 11.0 131.1 16.0 22.5 6.0 204.1 1995 16.8 5.5 120.0 18.0 10.0 3.0 173.3 1996 16.5 3.5 80.0 0.0 10.0 3.0 113.0 1997 16.5 3.5 16.0 0.0 7.5 3.0 46.5 1998 19.5 3.5 16.0 0.0 4.5 3.0 46.5 1999 16.5 1.5 0.0 0.0 4.5 3.0 25.5 2000 16.5 1.5 0.0 0.0 4.5 3.0 25.5 2001 13.5 1.5 0.0 0.0 4.5 3.0 22.5 2002— 2009 ea 10.5 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 15.0 TOTAL 227.8 45.0 363.1 34.0 68.0 51.0 791.9 Date of Recovery: If recovery criteria are met, delisting may be possible by 2009. ii : TABLE OF CONTENTS DISCLAIMER 1 LITERATURE CITATIONS 1 EXECUTIVESUMMARY 11 I. INTRODUCTION 1 A. Listing History and Recovery Priority 1 B. Taxonomy 2 C. Morphological Description 3 D. Distribution and Abundance 5 B. Habitat 8 F. Associated Species 9 G. Life History 10 H. Impacts and Threats 11 I. Conservation and Research Efforts 12 J. Recovery Strategy 14 II. RECOVERY 16 A. Objective and Recovery Criteria 16 B. Recovery Outline 18 C. Narrative Outline of Recovery Actions 22 D. References Cited 37 III. IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE 40 IV • APPENDIX Summary of Comments Received on the Draft Chisos Mountain Hedgehog Recovery Plan 45 iii I. INTRODUCTION A. Listincr History and Recovery Priority Echinocereus chisoensis var. chisoensis (Chisos Mountain Hedgehog Cactus, Chisos Pitaya) was federally listed as threatened on September 30, 1988 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1988b). No critical habitat was designated. Echinocereus chisoensis var. chisoensis is also listed as threatened by the State of Texas (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Executive Order no. 88—003, December 30, 1988). Echinocereus chisoensis var. chisoensis has a recovery priority of 9. Recovery priority numbers for listed species range from 1 to 18, with species ranking 1 having the highest recovery priority. A recovery priority of 9 indicates that this is a variety with a moderate degree of threat and a high recovery potential (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1990). 1 B. Taxonomy Echinocereus chisoensis var. chisoensis is a small cylindrical cactus (family Cactaceae) with distinctive flowers. It was first collected in 1939, reportedly in the Chisos Mountains of Texas. The locality reported for this initial collection is believed to have been highly generalized, as no populations have ever been found in the mountains. The variety is known only from alluvial flats. It was described as a new species, Echinocereus chisoensis by W.T. Marshall (1940). Lyman Benson (1969) reduced the taxon to a variety of Echinocereus reichenbachii. The plant was generally known as Echinocereus reichenbachii var. chisoensis until the publication of Nigel Taylor’s monograph of the genus in 1985. He considered it sufficiently distinct that he returned it to species status and named two varieties, Echinocereus chiscensis var. chisoensis endemic to Big Bend National Park, and Echinocereus chisoensis var. fobeanus of Coahuila and northeastern Durango, Mexico (also very rare). It should be noted that in the original listing proposal for threatened status (52 FR 25275; July 6, 1987) the nomenclature of Benson was used, but that in the final rule (53 FR 38453; September 30, 1988) the more current nomenclature of Taylor (1985) was followed. Two spellings of the word “chisoensis” have appeared in the literature; “chisoensis” is nomenclaturally correct, as published in Marshall’s original description (Marshall 1940). Apparently, in publishing his treatment of the taxon as a variety of Echinocereus reichenbachii Benson (1969) used the spelling “chisosensis”, in error. This misspelling was subsequently used in Benson’s contributions to floras by Lundell (1969) and Correll and Johnston (1970), as well as in Benson’s 1982 treatise on cacti. This error in floras and references for cacti has resulted in misspellings in various unpublished reports (Evans 1986, Alex and Norland 1987, Norland 1987, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1988a). 2 C. MorpholocTical Description Echinocereus chisoensis var. chisoensis is a relatively low— growing (to 10-12 in., 25—30 cm), cylindrical cactus, reddish— maroon, becoming greener in summer. The stems are most often singular, though they also form clumps composed of multiple stems with age or injury. The stems have 11-16 vertical or slightly spiraled ribs, which have distinctly separate tuberoles separated by broad valleys. The areoles are less than 0.13 in. (3.2 mm) long and about 0.25 in. (6.4 mm) apart, circular and distinctly wooly when young, but becoming elliptic and bare with age. The spines are relatively sparse and do not completely obscure the stem. The outer (radial) spines number 10-16, and are notably whitish, or ashy to pinkish gray, with brown to maroon tips. The radial spines are slender and irregular in length, the uppermost 0.06—0.13 in. (1.6-3.2 mm) long and bristle-like, the laterals to 0.37 in. (9.5 mm) long and the lowermost to 0.75 in. (19.1 mm) long. The central spines, numbering 1—6, are more slender than the radials, and dark brown to black with whitish bases. The largest central spine, 0.63 in. (15.9 mm) long, is the lowermost and is held nearly perpendicular to the stem. The other central spines are 0.25—0.50 in. (6.4— 12.7 mm) and spreading. The flowers are quite distinctive and appear from March to July. They are funnelform, 2.52-3.75 in. (6.4-9.5 cm) long, 0.50 in. (1.3 cm) in diameter, and do not open very widely. The greenish floral tube has a striking woolliness with clusters of bristly or hairy brown-tipped spines.