BOISE, ID (09/22/06) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced it is conducting a five-year review of the Bruneau hot springsnail, (Pyrgulopsis bruneauensis), a mollusk that was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (Act) in 1998. The species occurs in geothermal springs and seeps along the Bruneau River in southwest Idaho.

On April 11, 2006, the Service announced initiation of five-year reviews for 70 species in the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, and Guam. The Bruneau hot springsnail was included in the list of species slated for review. 

The Service is requesting submission of new scientific or commercial information that has become available since the listing of the species. New information will be accepted by the Service until close of business November 1, 2006. New information may be submitted to the Snake River Fish and Wildlife Office, 1387 S. Vinnell Way, Boise, Idaho 83709; fax (208) 378-5262; telephone (208) 378-5243; or e-mailed to fw1srbocomment@fws.gov. Please include 'Bruneau HSS' in the subject line for faxes and e-mails. If Internet connection is disrupted, please submit information by mail or fax.

Information may include, but is not limited to, species biology; population trends, distribution, abundance, demographics and genetics; habitat conditions; conservation measures; threat status and trends; and any other new information, data, or corrections such as taxonomic or nomenclature changes, identification of erroneous information, and improved analytical methods.

The Service's Snake River Fish and Wildlife Office Field Supervisor Jeff Foss said,  "We have gained much new information about this and other aquatic snails since their listings in the late 1990s. We encourage the public to submit new scientific information for our five-year review of this species." 

The purpose of a five-year review is to ensure that the classification of a species as threatened or endangered is accurate and consistent with the best scientific and commercial information currently available. A five-year review is purely an assessment of a listed species and does not trigger any changes in management of a species or its habitat.

If the Service receives new information that is considered substantial, the agency may determine a change in the species' listing classification. Changes may include removal from the Threatened and Endangered Species List (delisting), or a change in status from endangered to threatened or threatened to endangered (reclassification). 

Any change in classification of a species would require a separate rulemaking process, including public review and comment. No change in status would occur until the completion of the rulemaking process. All species remain fully protected under the Act during the five-year review process.

Please contact Cary Myler at (208) 378-5243 or by e-mail at cary_myler@fws.gov with additional questions or for further assistance.