Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Initiation of 5-Year Status Reviews for 81 Southeastern Species

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Initiation of 5-Year Status Reviews for 81 Southeastern Species

DATES:

These status reviews were announced on November 9, 2026.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are announcing 5-year status reviews under the ESA for 81 species which include 47 animal species and 34 plant species. A 5-year status review is based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. We ask the public to submit at any time any new information relevant to the status of any of the species listed in Table 1 below.

Why do we conduct 5-year status reviews?

Under the ESA, we maintain Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants (which we collectively refer to as the List) in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 17.11 (for wildlife) and 50 CFR 17.12 (for plants). Section 4(c)(2)(A) of the ESA requires us to review each listed species' status at least once every 5 years. Our regulations at 50 CFR 424.21 require that we publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing species under active review. For additional information about 5-year status reviews, refer to our fact sheet at https://www.fws.gov/project/five-year-status-reviews.

What information do we consider in our reviews?

A 5-year status review considers the best scientific and commercial data regarding the species. Such information includes:

(A) Species biology, including but not limited to population trends, distribution, abundance, demographics, habitat requirements, tolerance thresholds, and genetics;

(B) Habitat conditions, including but not limited to amount, distribution, and suitability;

(C) Conservation measures that have been or are planned to be implemented to benefit the species;

(D) Current threats and trends in relation to the five listing factors (as defined in section 4(a)(1) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1533(a)(1)); and

(E) Other new information, data, or corrections, including, but not limited to, taxonomic or nomenclature changes, identification of erroneous information contained in the List, and any improved analytical methods.

Any new information will be considered during the 5-year status review and ongoing recovery programs for the species.

Which species are under review?

This notice announces 5-year status reviews for the species listed in Table 1. For additional information on the species, see our website at https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/ and enter the species name in the search box.

New Information

To ensure that a 5-year status review is based on the best available scientific and commercial information, we ask that any new information is submitted using one of the methods identified under ADDRESSES (also see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT ). When submitting information, please support said information by supplying documentation such as maps; references; methods used to gather and analyze the data; and/or copies of any pertinent scientific journal articles, other publications, reports, or letters by knowledgeable sources. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your submission, you should be aware that your entire submission-including your personal identifying information-may be made publicly available at any time.

Authority

We publish this notice under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. ).