Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened Species Status with Section 4(d) Rule for Florida Keys Mole Skink and Designation of Critical Habitat

Issuing agencies

Abstract

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the Florida Keys mole skink (Plestiodon egregius egregius), a lizard subspecies from the Florida Keys, Florida, as a threatened species and designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This determination also serves as our 12- month finding on a petition to list the Florida Keys mole skink. After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the species is warranted. Accordingly, we propose to list the Florida Keys mole skink as a threatened species with a rule issued under section 4(d) of the Act ("4(d) rule"). If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would add this species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and extend the Act's protections to the species. We also propose to designate critical habitat for the Florida Keys mole skink under the Act. In total, approximately 7,068 acres (2,860 hectares) within Monroe County in the Florida Keys, Florida, fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation. We also announce the availability of a draft economic analysis of the proposed designation of critical habitat for the Florida Keys mole skink.