The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced a 90-day finding (pdf) that delisting the Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle (Desmocerus californicus dimorphus) may be warranted. The Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) initially petitioned the Service to delist the beetle in September 2010. In April 2011, PLF filed a lawsuit seeking a court order directing the Service to issue a finding on PLF’s petition. The 90-day finding commences the Service’s status review of the species to determine whether delisting is warranted. The Service is requesting available data on the beetle. The deadline for submitting comments to the Service is October 18, 2011. The Service will then issue a 12-month finding as to whether the delisting is warranted or not.
The beetle is endemic to the Central Valley of the State of California. Until the beetle is formally delisted, all protections under the Endangered Species Act remain in place. The address to send comments can be found on the Service’s Q and A (pdf) about the 90-day finding.
