The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has completed findings for 25 petitions to list, delist or reclassify animals or plants under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service finds that two of these petitions (for the Cahaba pebblesnail and the Stephens' kangaroo rat) did not present substantial scientific or commercial information that the petitioned actions may be warranted. The Service will not initiate a status review for these species.

As listed below, the Service is initiating status reviews for 23 petitions that presented substantial information that the species may warrant listing under the ESA. With the publication of this notice, the Service will initiate a review of the status of each species. To ensure that these reviews are comprehensive, the Service is requesting scientific and commercial data and other information for each species. Based on the status reviews, the Service will address whether the petitioned action is warranted.

A summary of all findings in this batch is included below, along with separate docket numbers:

Not-substantial petition findings – no further status review

Substantial petition findings – status review initiated

The notice will publish in the Federal Register on September 18, 2015, and also will be available at https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection by clicking on the 2015 Notices link under Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. Information can be submitted on species for which a status review is being initiated, using the specified docket number, beginning upon publication in the Federal Register, for 60 days until November 17, 2015.

The ESA provides a critical safety net for fish, wildlife and plants and has prevented the extinction of hundreds of imperiled species, as well as promoting the recovery of many others. The Service is actively engaged with conservation partners and the public in the search for improved and innovative ways to conserve and recover imperiled species.