Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Technical Corrections for Seven Species on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Six Species on the List of Endangered and Threatened Plants

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and the List of Endangered and Threatened Plants (“Lists”), which are set forth in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at §§ 17.11 and 17.12, respectively, contain certain information on the endangered species and threatened species federally listed pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The information in the Lists includes each listed species' common name and scientific name, the geographic area where the species is listed for purposes of the ESA, its listing status ( e.g., endangered), and nonregulatory information providing citations to applicable Federal Register publications and regulations.

The regulations at 50 CFR 17.11(c) and 17.12(b) direct us to use the most recently accepted scientific name of any wildlife or plant species, respectively, that we have determined to be an endangered or threatened species.

Purpose of Final Rule

This final rule revises the Lists at 50 CFR 17.11(h) and 17.12(h) to correct the editorial errors identified below under Summary Table of Editorial Corrections. These corrections are purely administrative and are based on previously published rulemaking documents.

We are publishing this rule without a prior proposal because we previously provided a public comment period on the proposed rules for these taxa and because this is a noncontroversial action that is in the best interest of the public and that should be undertaken in as timely a manner as possible. None of these changes are regulatory in nature; they are for accuracy and clarity. These revisions do not alter species' protections or status in any way. Any actions altering a species' protection or status would require a separate rulemaking action following the procedures of 50 CFR part 424.

Summary Table of Editorial Corrections

The table below identifies the editorial corrections we are making in this rule. The table provides the current listing information for each species to be corrected, the type of error and a description of the correction we are making, and the correction itself.

Where the table refers to the “2016 Reformatting” that means an August 4, 2016, final rule (81 FR 51550) that we published to update the format of the Lists. The purpose of the 2016 Reformatting was to make the Lists easier to understand by changing the format to reflect current practices and standards, to correct identified errors in entries such as footnotes and spelling, and to update common names, among other changes. Following the 2016 Reformatting's publication, however, we identified editorial errors in the updated Lists.

Where the table refers to the “1983 Republication” that means a July 27, 1983, final rule (48 FR 34182) in which we republished the Lists. At that time we republished the Lists annually to incorporate all changes ( i.e., additions, reclassifications, and deletions) published as final rules in the Federal Register to date. We have identified an error in the 1983 Republication of the List.

Where the table refers to the “2003 Rule” that means an August 6, 2003, final rule (68 FR 46684) in which we designated critical habitat for 15 previously listed species in California and southern Oregon. The 2003 Rule revised the Lists to add references for each species' newly designated critical habitat. However, this rule also introduced several errors to the Lists.

In the table below, “E” means “endangered,” and “T” means “threatened.” These refer to the listing status of a species. The ESA defines an “endangered species” at 16 U.S.C. 1532(6), and a “threatened species” at 16 U.S.C. 1532(20).

All corrections described in the table are editorial in nature; that is, the correct species' scientific name or listing status were already set forth in a previous rulemaking published in the Federal Register (FR), which we cite in the table. We also correct erroneous FR citations in the Lists, as described in the table below.