Central Texas arachnid to stay on endangered species list after review
"A review of the best available scientific and commercial information regarding the past, present, and future threats to the species indicates that the Bone Cave harvestman is in danger of extinction throughout its range and meets the definition of an endangered species under the ESA," the Service said in a press release.
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday an arachnid found only in Central Texas will stay on the endangered species list after a comprehensive review.
The Bone Cave harvestman, a relative of the spider, lives only in subterranean habitats of the Balcones Canyonlands in portions of Travis and Williamson counties. The blind cave arachnid was placed on the endangered species list in 1988 due to habitat destruction from urbanization to keep up with population growth in the region.
In 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received a petition requesting the Bone Cave harvestman be removed from the endangered species list due to recovery efforts and issues with data collection. Additionally, in 2019, more evidence was offered that supported the delisting of the arachnid from the endangered species list, the Service said.
"A review of the best available scientific and commercial information regarding the past, present, and future threats to the species indicates that the Bone Cave harvestman is in danger of extinction throughout its range and meets the definition of an endangered species under the ESA," the Service said in a press release.
The endangered status of this arachnid has caused issues for some property owners and developers in the past. Since it is endangered, if someone owns the land where the spider naturally occurs, the property owner must preserve its habitat, according to federal laws.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation joined a lawsuit in 2015 along with American Stewards of Liberty to represent a Williamson County rancher whose property had some of the rare arachnids.
The case, which would have changed the Endangered Species Act, was turned away by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2021.