Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Taxonomic Change of Erigeron Maguirei var. Maguirei (Maguire Daisy) to Erigeron Maguirei (Maguire Daisy); Proposal To Reclassify From Endangered to Threatened Status

Resumo

The plant Erigeron maguirei (Maguire daisy) previously included two recognized varieties: E. maguirei var. maguirei, listed as endangered in 1985, and E. maguirei var. harrisonii, a category 2 candidate species. A recent taxonomic revision has synonymized these two plant varieties into one species, E. maguirei, because morphological differences that were previously used to distinguish between the two varieties have been determined to be ecotypic and not genetically fixed. The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) accepts this taxonomic revision, and proposes to change the endangered E. maguirei var. maguirei to E. maguirei and to reclassify it to threatened status under the authority of the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Erigeron maguirei is endemic to sandstone canyons and mesas in the San Rafael Swell in Emergy County, Utah, and the Capitol Reef in Wayne County, Utah. This species is found in small populations and portions of its habitat are subjected to adverse effects from mineral and recreational development and livestock grazing. A determination that E. maguirei is a threatened species would continue to provide this species protection