Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removing the Braken Bat Cave Meshweaver From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

Issuing agencies

Abstract

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to remove the Braken Bat Cave meshweaver (Cicurina venii), an arachnid, from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (i.e., "delist" the species) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), because of a taxonomic revision. The proposed delisting is based on our evaluation of the best available scientific and commercial information, which indicates that Braken Bat Cave meshweaver is not a discrete taxonomic entity and does not meet the definition of a species as defined by the Act. Cicurina venii has been synonymized with Cicurina madla, the Madla Cave meshweaver. Therefore, due to a taxonomic revision, C. venii is no longer a scientifically accepted species and cannot be listed under the Act. However, because the Braken Bat Cave meshweaver has been synonymized under the Madla Cave meshweaver, its status, and thus its protections under the Act, would remain the same because the Madla Cave meshweaver is listed as endangered under the Act.