(NEXSTAR) – Nine species could soon find themselves on federal threatened or endangered species list, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says.
After reviewing eight species native to the United States and two from Southeast Asia, wildlife officials determined nine of them warrant advancing to the next step under the Endangered Species Act.
Before being added to the official list of endangered and threatened wildlife or plants – and receiving all the protections that come with it – species go through a review and monitoring process. The nine species chosen by U.S. Fish and Wildlife face enough risk of extinction that they warrant being monitored over the next year.
At that point, federal officials will determine whether they should be added to the “endangered” list (for species at risk of extinction throughout much of their range) or the “threatened” list (for species likely to become endangered).
The eight animals at risk are a diverse group, from colorful fish to tiny rabbits to a bumblebee. One plant species is also under consideration.
The species being monitored and evaluated are:
| Common name | Range | Description |
| Betta hendra | Central Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia | colorful freshwater fish endemic to peat swamp forests in Indonesia |
| Betta rutilans | Kalimantan Barat, Borneo, Indonesia | similar to the betta hendra, but red-colored |
| Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander | NC | unique salamander with a dark body and green/yellow patches, found in western North Carolina forests |
| Pygmy rabbit | CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WY | small rabbit that lives in sagebrush around the western U.S. |
| Railroad Valley Toad | Nye County, NV | an especially small toad with a long head and limbs, and brown spots, found only in one part of Nevada |
| Southern Plains bumble bee | AL, AR, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, IA, KS, KY, LA, MS, MO, NE, NM, ND, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WY | a large bee with short hair, a short head and yellow coloring; lives in prairies and grasslands around much of the U.S. |
| Southwest spring firefly | AZ, NM, Mexico | a firefly threatened by loss of ground and surface water, livestock grazing, mining operations, light pollution and climate change |
| White-margined penstemon | NV, AZ, CA | a rare plant found only in the Mojave Desert that has smooth stems and pink and purple petals |
| Yellow-spotted woodland salamander | KY, TN, VA, WV | a slender salamander with a gray-brown body with yellow spots, which lives along the Appalachian Plateau |
Unlike the species above, wildlife experts decided the Eastern hellbender, a large salamander found in 15 states, didn’t need to be added to the endangered or threatened list. However, the Missouri population of the hellbender salamander was listed as endangered in 2021.
Once a species is on the official list, a host of protections kick in, Fish and Wildlife explains, including protecting their habitat, recovery efforts and restrictions on people transporting or selling the species.
