U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lists the Ozark Hellbender as Endangered

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today designated the Ozark hellbender as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and also finalized its decision to list the Ozark and eastern hellbender in Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). In combination, these listings will provide significant protection to hellbenders, both domestically and internationally.

Under the ESA, an endangered species is any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. The Ozark hellbender, which grows to lengths up to 2 feet, inhabits the White River system in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. Ozark hellbender populations have declined an estimated 75 percent since the 1980s, with only about 590 individuals remaining in the wild.

It is believed numbers have dropped because of degraded water quality, habitat loss resulting from impoundments, ore and gravel mining, sedimentation , and collection for the pet trade.

Also threatening the Ozark hellbender is a fungal disease, chytridiomycosis (chytrid), and severe physical abnormalities (e.g., lesions, digit and appendage loss, epidermal sloughing) which most Ozark hellbenders exhibit.

In addition, the average age of Ozark hellbender populations is increasing and few young are being found, indicating problems with reproduction or juvenile survival. This, and the multiple threats from disease and habitat degradation, could lead to extinction of the Ozark hellbender within 20 years.

“The Ozark hellbender faces extinction without the protection afforded by the Endangered Species Act,” said Tom Melius, the Service’s Midwest Regional Director. “Listing provides tools and an infrastructure within which partners can pool resources and expertise to help save this species.”

The Service determined that designating critical habitat under the ESA for the Ozark hellbender is not prudent because the designation would require publication of detailed descriptions of hellbender locations and habitat, making illegal collection for the pet trade more likely.

To better control and monitor the international trade of hellbenders, the Service has included both the Ozark and eastern hellbender in Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES or Convention). CITES is an international agreement between governments designed to prevent species from becoming endangered or extinct as a result of international trade. Collection within the United States and international trade of hellbenders is of growing concern, particularly as they become rarer and, consequently, more valuable. Listing hellbenders in Appendix III of CITES would aid in curbing unauthorized international trade, not only by controlling exports from the United States but by enlisting the assistance of 174 other countries that are CITES Parties in controlling trade in the species.

Currently, two subspecies of hellbenders are recognized, the Ozark hellbender and the eastern hellbender. The Ozark hellbender only occurs in Missouri and Arkansas, whereas the eastern hellbender range includes portions of the following 16 States: Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.


Full text can be found here.

Thanks for the update! Good news, that its going to be protected!

I think CITES III listings are much easier to make than I or II. It is my understanding that the listing does not need the lengthy approval procedure that I or II does. Cites III just needs to be approved by the country proposing the listing.

I was going to make that point - CITES 3 listing is regional/national in nature. If the USA treats it as a CITES animal, it basically means that it can be moved freely between countries UNLESS it comes from the USA, in which case a CITES export permit must be provided. Of course, I would expect ratification by CITES would be needed, since it still falls on all other signatories to actually look for those export permits.

Sadly, this listing is a little poorly timed, in that hellbenders require a fair amount of taxonomic revision. There are potentially several species involved, and the Ozark populations are not especially closely related to one another. In other words, each is at much greater risk than presently implied.

I don't see CITES 1 as warranted though. While I think it might be appropriate for Neurergus kaiseri, the reason for that is that the Iranian border appears to be a wildlife seive. Once an animal was out of Iran, no permit would be required, and we're well aware of the large numbers which illegally left Iran in the first place. CITES 3 listing would be meaningless in this case because they were ALREADY leaving Iran illegally. CITES 1 puts onus on ALL countries to look for export permits for ALL specimens AND further approve import. For hellbenders, I'm not aware of any significant illegal international trade, and the USA has fairly modern and funded wildlife and border services. If the animals aren't leaving the USA in appreciable numbers in the first place, there's probably little point in controlling export from anywhere BUT the USA.