Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reopening of Comment Period on Proposed Endangered Status for Three Insects From the Santa Cruz Mountains of California

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-AC50

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reopening of

Comment Period on Proposed Endangered Status for Three Insects From the

Santa Cruz Mountains of California

agency: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

action: Proposed rule; reopening of comment period.

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summary: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) provides notice that

the comment period on the proposed determination of endangered status

for the Mount Hermon june beetle (Polyphylla barbata), Zayante band-

winged grasshopper (Trimerotropis infantilis), and Santa Cruz rain

beetle (Pleocoma conjungens conjungens) is reopened. These insects are

found in ponderosa pine sand parkland habitat in Santa Cruz County,

California. All interested parties are invited to submit comments on

this proposal.

dates: The comment period, which originally closed on August 1, 1994,

is reopened on September 1, 1994; the Service will accept written

comments until October 31, 1994.

addresses: Written comments and materials should be sent to the Field

Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2140 Eastman Avenue, Suite

100, Ventura, California 93003, (fax 818/904-6288). Comments and

materials received will be available for public inspection during

normal business hours, by appointment, at the above address.

for further information contact: Carl Benz at the Ventura Field Office

(see ADDRESSES section), telephone 805/644-1766.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Mount Hermon june beetle (Polyphylla barbata) is a small scarab

beetle with a black head, and dark blackish-brown front wings with

stripes and scattered long hair. The Zayante band-winged grasshopper

(Trimerotropis infantilis) is a small grasshopper with a pale gray to

light-brown body and dark crossbands on the forewing. The hind tibiae

are blue-gray and the eye is banded. The Santa Cruz rain beetle

(Pleocoma conjungens conjungens) is a large beetle, shining reddish-

brown to blackish in color. The ventral surface of the body is clothed

with long hair. The three species are found in ponderosa pine sand

parkland habitat, a patchily distributed habitat restricted to inland

marine sand deposits, and endemic to Santa Cruz County, California.

Recent human activities in the Santa Cruz Mountains have resulted in

the loss, fragmentation, and degradation of over 50 percent of this

habitat. These three insects are threatened by urban development, sand

mining, recreational uses, agricultural activities, and change in the

natural frequency of fires.

On May 10, 1994, the Service published a proposed rule in the

Federal Register (59 FR 24112) to list the Mount Hermon june beetle,

Zayante band-winged grasshopper, and Santa Cruz rain beetle as

endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. As

provided under section 4(b)(5)(e) of the Act, a public hearing was held

on July 18, 1994 at the Santa Cruz County Government Center, Santa

Cruz, California following a request from Dr. William Hazeltine,

Oroville, California.

The comment period on the original proposal closed on August 1,

1994. Following a request from Mr. Doug Aikins and Ms. Erin Morton,

Ware & Freidenrich, Palo Alto, California, the Service will reopen the

public comment period until October 31, 1994 to allow submission of

additional information and comments which will aid the Service in

making a final determination. Written comments may now be submitted

until October 31, 1994, to the Service office in the ADDRESSES section.

Author

The primary author of this notice is Jonathan Hoekstra, Ventura

Field Office (see ADDRESSES section).

Authority

The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of 1973

(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)

(Notice for Mount Hermon June Beetle, Zayante Band-winged

Grasshopper, Santa Cruz Rain Beetle--Reopening of Comment Period)

Dated: August 26, 1994.

Thomas Dwyer,

Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 94-21579 Filed 8-31-94; 8:45 am]

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