COSEWIC candidate wildlife species

Common name: White-winged Grasshopper

Taxonomic group: Arthropods

Scientific name: Dissosteira spurcata

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: British Columbia, Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency

Proposed call for bids date:

Rationale: This grasshopper is associated with arid shrub-steppe in the intermountain west. It reaches its northern limit in the southern Okanagan Valley. Within its Canadian range, it is highly localized and has been recently recorded at only two sites. One is a Haynes Lease Wildlife Area at the north end of Osoyoos Lake and the other is a parcel of crown land on the west side of Osoyoos. While the wildlife area is secure, the crown land is under pressure for annexation and development by the town of Osoyoos. It is currently used for off-road driving and hiking. The species could also occur on the east side of Osoyoos Lake on the Osoyoos Indian Reserve. This would not greatly change the status of the species.

Common name: Arctic Orangebush Lichen

Taxonomic group: Lichens

Scientific name: Xanthaptychia aurantiaca

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service, Northwest Territories, Parks Canada Agency

Proposed call for bids date: 2021

Rationale: Xanthaptychia aurantiaca is narrowly restricted to western portions of the Canadian Arctic. It is a relatively large bright orange macrolichen that is conspicuous on the landscape. However, there are only 14 known collections. The region has been thoroughly surveyed for lichens (see map under Search Effort), with over 6600 lichens collections known. This suggests that X. aurantiaca is not only narrowly endemic, but also rare within its range. All collections are coastal. Most collections have been made on Banks Island and the Parry Peninsula in the Northwest Territories. This species is threatened by a loss of habitat from rapidly eroding coasts, saline wash resulting from storm surges, and permafrost melting. These threats are due to a reduction in sea ice cover on the Beaufort Sea and changes in weather patterns caused by on-going climate change.

Common name: Horned Lark

Taxonomic group: Birds

Scientific name: Eremophila alpestris

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Alberta, Alsek Renewable Resources Council, British Columbia, Canadian Museum of Nature, Carmacks Renewable Resources Council, Carcross/Tagish Renewable Resources Council, Canadian Wildlife Service, Dawson District Renewable Resources Council, Dän Keyi Renewable Resources Council, Eeyou Marine Region Wildlife Board, Gwich'in Renewable Resources Board, Laberge Renewable Resources Council, Manitoba, Mayo District Renewable Resources Council, New Brunswick, Nisga'a Joint Fisheries Management Committee, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Nunavut Territory, Nisga'a Wildlife Committee, Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, North Yukon Renewable Resources Council, Ontario, Parks Canada Agency, Porcupine Caribou Management Board, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Sahtu Renewable Resources Board, Selkirk Renewable Resources Council, Teslin Renewable Resources Council, Torngat Wildlife and Plants Co-management Board, Wildlife Management Advisory Council - North Slope, Wildlife Management Advisory Council - Northwest Territories, Wekeezhii Renewable Resources Board, Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, Yukon Territory

Proposed call for bids date: 2022

Rationale: Horned Lark is a Holarctic landbird that occurs in Canada's tundra and prairie grasslands, and other open landscapes from seaside barrens to above the alpine tree-line. One of the eight subspecies that occur in Canada, Streaked Horned Lark, was assessed by COSEWIC as Endangered in 2003 and 2018; the other seven are considered here. Horned Lark subspecies differ in range, body size and colouration. Most subspecies have populations estimated at >1 million mature individuals in Canada, but Pallid Horned Lark and Dusky Horned Lark may have only 15,000 to 20,000 mature individuals each. Overall, the Canadian population of Horned Lark is estimated to be about 28 million mature individuals. After apparent increases in the late 1800s, most populations have declined continuously since the 1940s, with loss of marginal agricultural areas and intensification of agriculture in breeding areas, and loss of native grassland habitat negatively affecting populations on both breeding and wintering grounds. Population estimates and trends are difficult to determine for individual subspecies, and appear to vary substantially. However, at the national level, Breeding Bird Survey data for Horned Lark show a long-term (1970-2018) decline of 89% (95% credible interval: -91%, -86%), corresponding to a trend of -4.4% per year (-4.9%, -4.0%), with a short-term (2008-2018) decline of -58% (-64%, -52%), corresponding to an annual trend of -8.4% (-9.7%, -7.0%).

Common name: Lupine Leafroller Moth

Taxonomic group: Arthropods

Scientific name: Anacampsis lupinella

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario, Parks Canada Agency

Proposed call for bids date: 2022

Rationale: Lupine Leafroller Moth (Anacampsis lupinella) ranges in southern Ontario within the dry, open oak woodland, pitch pine-scrub oak barrens where the host plant, Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis) is present. Wild Lupine is also at-risk and ranked vulnerable (N2N3) in Canada and Ontario (S2S3). Records date from 1901 - 2017 and the species is known from High Park (Toronto), the St. Williams Conservation Reserve (and a nearby private property, both in Norfolk County), and in the Karner Blue Sanctuary( Lambton County). An additional subpopulation may be present in/around Pinery Provincial Park, where a moderate-sized wild lupine population persists. Threats include invasive species that are changing the ecosystem and impacting the host plans, pesticide spray to control non-native Gypsy Moth outbreaks, and habitat conversion and fragmentation.

Common name: Oslar's Roadside Skipper

Taxonomic group: Arthropods

Scientific name: Amblyscirtes oslari

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Alberta, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Saskatchewan

Proposed call for bids date: 2021

Rationale: Oslar's Roadside Skipper (Amblyscirtes oslari) is a dry, mixed grass prairies, open woodlands, ravines, and canyons prairie butterfly with a restricted range in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. Adults fly from May to July, there is one generation per season and the larvae feed on blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) or other grasses. The species is known from eight sites: Lethbridge (AB), Writing-on-stone Provincial Park (AB), Taber (AB), North Pinhorn Grazing Preserve (AB), Estuary (SK), Val Marie (SK), Deer Forks (SK) and Roche Percee (SK). Widespread habitat conversion during the early 1900s and the loss of Plains Bison contributed to the loss of prairie grassland habitat suitable for this species. Current threats include agricultural intensification, habitat fragmentation and lack of connectivity between natural grassland fragments, invasive plants that change soil chemistry and/or outcompete native larval and nectar host plants, and roadside/agricultural pesticide use. There are currently no Canadian records on iNaturalist, BugGuide or other citizen science/online forums.

Common name: Pahaska Skipper

Taxonomic group: Arthropods

Scientific name: Hesperia pahaska

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service, Manitoba, Parks Canada Agency, Saskatchewan

Proposed call for bids date: 2021

Rationale: Pahaska Skipper (Hesperia pahaska) is a dry, mixed grass prairie and open pine forest butterfly with a restricted range in southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Adults fly from June to July, with one generation per season in Canada and larvae feed on blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), with fluff grass (Erioneuron pulchellum) also reported as a host plant in other parts of its US range. Records are from 1928 to 2009 from five sites including Surprise Valley (SK), Rosefield (SK), Minton (1928, SK), Grasslands National Park (SK) and Miniota (MB). Widespread habitat conversion during the early 1900's and the loss of Plains Bison contributed to the loss of prairie grassland habitat suitable for this species. Current threats include agricultural intensification, habitat fragmentation and lack of connectivity between natural grassland fragments, invasive plants that change and/or outcompete native larval and nectar host plants, and roadside/agricultural pesticide use. There are currently no Canadian records on iNaturalist, BugGuide or other citizen science/online forums.

Common name: Paintedhand Mudbug

Taxonomic group: Arthropods

Scientific name: Lacunicambarus polychromatus

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario, Parks Canada Agency

Proposed call for bids date: 2022

Rationale: The Paintedhand Mudbug (Lacunicambarus polychromatus) is a burrowing crayfish known in Canada from one subpopulation in Windsor, Ontario. This freshwater species excavates its own burrows in low-lying habitats close to the water table, including the banks and floodplains of lakes and rivers, roadside ditches, and wetlands. The life history is poorly known although the species consumes both plant material and animals such as insects and worms, seizing passing prey from the mouth of their burrows. Threats include a any form of development that impacts wetland longevity, quality and sustainability: wetland habitat infilling, conversion, water diversion (to wetlands), pesticide/wastewater/roadside salt run-off.

Common name: Simius Roadside Skipper

Taxonomic group: Arthropods

Scientific name: Notamblyscirtes simius

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Saskatchewan

Proposed call for bids date: 2021

Rationale: Simius Roadside-Skipper (Notamblyscirtes simius) is a mixed grass prairie butterfly with a restricted range in southern Saskatchewan. Adults fly from May to July, there is one generation per season and the larvae feed on blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis). The species is known from three sites in southern Saskatchewan including Rosefeld (1968), Val Marie (1983) and an unknown collection locality that needs further investigation. There are no known documented occurrences in Canada since at least 1998. Widespread habitat conversion during the early 1900's and the loss of Plains Bison contributed to the loss of prairie grassland habitat suitable for this species. Current threats include agricultural intensification, habitat fragmentation and lack of connectivity between natural grassland fragments, invasive plants that change and/or outcompete native larval and nectar host plants, and roadside/agricultural pesticide use. There are currently no Canadian records on iNaturalist, BugGuide or other citizen science/online forums.

Common name: Bermuda Petrel

Taxonomic group: Birds

Scientific name: Pterodroma cahow

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Atlantic Ocean, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Parks Canada Agency, Prince Edward Island

Proposed call for bids date: 2022

Rationale: Bermuda Petrel or Cahow is a small gadfly petrel and one of the world's rarest seabirds. Once thought to be extinct, 8 pairs were found nesting on the Castle Harbour islands in Bermuda in 1951. Numbers have increased to 134 pairs in 2020, in response to intensive conservation and management efforts, with about 80% now nesting in artificial burrows. Recent telemetry tracking studies have shown that Bermuda Petrel regularly forages over deep waters within the Canadian 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone southeast of Nova Scotia, during incubation and chick-rearing periods in April and May. Significant threats at the Bermudan breeding colonies include competition with native White-tailed Tropicbird for nest sites, effects of pesticides, and predation by introduced rats. The primary threat is posed by increasing frequency and intensity of fall storms that periodically inundate colonies and destroy low-lying nest sites, exacerbated by ongoing sea level rise. Threats at sea are poorly known, but likely include lighting on ships and structures, offshore wind power development, and climate-related range shifts in prey species.

Common name: Canadian Philaronia

Taxonomic group: Arthropods

Scientific name: Philaronia canadensis

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario, Parks Canada Agency

Proposed call for bids date: 2022

Rationale: The Canadian Philaronia is a spittle bug historically known from a small area of distribution in the Great Lakes region where it occurs in southern Ontario and northern Michigan. There are only 5 confirmed records in the Great Lakes region since 1989. The species was once widespread in Southern Ontario and Michigan, and the number of known subpopulations in Ontario has declined from 15 to 5. The species is found along the shores of lakes and rivers in meadow habitat and its host plants are the goldenrods, Solidago canadensis and Solidago ohioensis, as well as Lindley's Aster, Symphyotrichum ciliolatum and White Snakeroot, Ageratina altissima. Fieldwork is required to confirm sites within the Great Lakes region.

Common name: Marbled Godwit

Taxonomic group: Birds

Scientific name: Limosa fedoa

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Alberta, British Columbia, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service, Manitoba, Ontario, Parks Canada Agency, Saskatchewan

Proposed call for bids date: 2022

Rationale: The Marbled Godwit is a large shorebird that nests in three disjunct areas; by far the largest population in the grasslands and parklands of the northern Great Plains (~170,000 mature individuals, 60% of which are in Canada), with two small, disjunct nesting populations in Alaska and James Bay (~2,000 mature individuals each). Data from the Breeding Bird Survey for the well-monitored midcontinent population indicate a decline of 42% over the past three generations, with the annual rate of decline accelerating to -4.5% over the past decade. Threats underlying this decline are not well known, although the rapid pace of grassland loss, as well as wetland drainage, are likely key factors. Threats on migration and in overwintering areas include the loss of wetland habitat, collisions with power lines and other infrastructure, human disturbance, contamination (including oil spills), climate-change and sea-level rise.

Common name: Plains Spadefoot

Taxonomic group: Amphibians

Scientific name: Spea bombifrons

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Alberta, Canadian Wildlife Service, Manitoba, Parks Canada Agency, Saskatchewan

Proposed call for bids date: 2022

Rationale: Plains Spadefoot has patchy distribution throughout the dry interior of North America, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Historically, the species was presumably widespread in native grasslands throughout the Canadian prairies. These habitats have experienced up to 77% loss throughout the 20th century, mostly due to conversion to agriculture. Loss of grasslands continues, primarily due to fire suppression and grazing regimes that allow vegetation succession to proceed. The species is vulnerable to prolonged summer droughts because it breeds in shallow pools that are subject to drying, leading to periodic failures to produce surviving young. While the species is adapted to predictably variable arid environments, disruption of climatic patterns, combined with intensive agriculture and road networks that constrain dispersal, is likely to result in population declines.

Common name: Rufous Hummingbird

Taxonomic group: Birds

Scientific name: Selasphorus rufus

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Alberta, British Columbia, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Yukon Territory

Proposed call for bids date: 2022

Rationale: Rufous Hummingbird remains common throughout its range, with a Canadian population estimate of 12 million mature individuals, comprising 54% of the global total. However, it has experienced a long-term population decline, which has been accelerating recently, with an estimated loss of 31% of the Canadian population between 2009 and 2019. Although causes of the decline remain only partly understood, recent research indicates that pesticides and habitat degradation associated with climate change are increasing threats. As a long-distance migrant, Rufous Hummingbird requires high-quality habitat across multiple areas for breeding, migratory stopovers, and wintering. Consequently, threats are repeatedly encountered over their annual life cycle, increasing their cumulative impact on populations.

Common name: Atlantic Mackerel

Taxonomic group: Marine fishes

Scientific name: Scomber scombrus

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Atlantic Ocean, Canadian Wildlife Service, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Parks Canada Agency

Proposed call for bids date: 2022

Rationale: Atlantic Mackerel is found in the waters of the Northwest Atlantic from North Carolina to Newfoundland. During spring and summer, Atlantic Mackerel is found in inshore waters. From late fall and in winter, it is found deeper in warmer waters at the edge of the continental shelf. In Canadian waters, spawning occurs mainly in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence during June and July. Atlantic Mackerel have declined about 80% since the late 1990s. Overfishing is considered the main threat.

Common name: Chinook Salmon

Taxonomic group: Marine fishes

Scientific name: Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Arctic Ocean, British Columbia, Canadian Wildlife Service, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Northwest Territories, Parks Canada Agency, Pacific Ocean, Yukon Territory

Proposed call for bids date: 2018

Rationale: These DUs are in the Skeena and Nass River drainage areas. They are an anadromous species that migrate to sea and return to spawn in natal rivers. Preliminary Predictions based on current data are as follows: Four of the DUs with complete data are ENDANGERED and the fifth is THREATENED. DUs with incomplete data are all ENDANGERED. Two DUs are data deficient. Major threats may exist and vary according to the diversity of habitat used over the Chinook salmon life cycle: (1) Estuary and (2) Coastal areas are subject to possible threats, for example, from pollution, fisheries, and pinniped predation; (3) High Seas area are subject to possible threats, for example, from competition with other salmon species and changes in Ocean productivity and (4) Freshwater habitats are exposed to threats within watershed areas, for example, from habitat degradation, dams, and landslides. Skeena Chinook are a high priority species because DUs has been defined, estimated declines are large, and data are readily available, though likely requires some review. It is also in the same geographic region as Skeena Sockeye which are also subject to similar declines, data availability, and threats.

Common name: Giant Candlewax

Taxonomic group: Lichens

Scientific name: Ricasolia amplissima sheiyi

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: British Columbia, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency

Proposed call for bids date:

Rationale: Giant Candlewax Lichen is a large tree-dwelling lichen that forms a symbiosis with both algae and cyanobacteria. It forms large thalli up to a half metre in diameter that are bright white when dry and green when wet. Giant Candlewax Lichen is found disjunct in Europe and western North America. The western North American population is genetically distinct and has been named as an endemic subspecies; the Canadian lichens belong to this subspecies. Giant Candlewax Lichen grows on highly exposed, light-rich trunks of old growth Sitka Spruce in close proximity to coastal shorelines in Alaska and British Columbia. The only verified locality in Canada is in an area with extensive coastal logging, limited buffers, and no formal protection status. Its large size and colour makes it unmistakable but it can live high in the tree canopy.

Common name: Hibernian Jellyskin

Taxonomic group: Lichens

Scientific name: Leptogium hibernicum

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service, Nova Scotia, Parks Canada Agency

Proposed call for bids date:

Rationale: Leptogium hibernicum is a leafy epiphytic cyanolichen of temperate humid to hyperhumid Oceanic/montane occurrence usually inhabiting stands of mature to old deciduous trees with neutral to basic and frequently moss-covered bark. In Nova Scotia, Canada, it also occurs on cedar (Thuja occidentalis). This species requires continual high humidity and moderate temperatures. The known locations are either within 25 kms of the coast and are usually somewhat sheltered by topography or existing forest stands.

Common name: Indra Swallowtail subspecies

Taxonomic group: Arthropods

Scientific name: Papilio indra indra

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: British Columbia, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency

Proposed call for bids date:

Rationale: The Indra Swallowtail is a large, striking butterfly that is restricted in Canada to the Cascade Mountains of southern British Columbia; they are known at present from only three sites. The larvae feed on the foliage of biscuitroots and perhaps other members of the carrot family that grow on sunny, south facing subalpine slopes. The species' extremely small range makes it vulnerable to catastrophic events such as wildfires, which are predicted to increase in size and intensity with climate change. The warming climate may also cause some loss of open subalpine meadows through an increase in tree and shrub cover.

Common name: Mouse Ears

Taxonomic group: Lichens

Scientific name: Erioderma sorediatum

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: British Columbia, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency

Proposed call for bids date:

Rationale: Mouse Ears is a rare cyanolichens restricted to coastal forests. In British Columbia, it is found in four subpopulations in 5-10 locations. However some of the occurrences have not been visited for several decades. The small number of locations and the very low density of thalli found at these locations despite substantial search efforts over the last few decades suggest that this species is very rare in coastal British Columbia and could be getting rarer due to threats. In addition, this species lives on ephemeral habitats and are subject to significant threats such as logging, climate warming (heat dome of 2021), and cabin development and other anthropogenic activities along the coast-line. As a result of this information it is recommended that Erioderma sorediatum be seriously considered for an official priority status assessment.

Common name: Sockeye Salmon

Taxonomic group: Marine fishes

Scientific name: Oncorhynchus nerka

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: Arctic Ocean, British Columbia, Canadian Wildlife Service, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Northwest Territories, Parks Canada Agency, Pacific Ocean, Yukon Territory

Proposed call for bids date:

Rationale: These DUs are in the Skeena and Nass River drainage areas. They are an anadromous species that migrate to sea and return to spawn in natal rivers. Nass-Skeena Sockeye are a high priority species because populations have been defined, and observed declines coupled with small population numbers indicate considerable extinction risk. They are also in the same geographic region as Skeena Chinook which are also subject to similar declines, data availability, and threats. Major threats may exist and vary according to the diversity of habitat used over the Sockeye salmon life cycle: (1) Estuary and (2) Coastal areas are subject to possible threats, for example, from pollution, fisheries, and pinniped predation. (3) High Seas area are subject to possible threats, for example, from competition with other salmon species and changes in Ocean productivity. (4) Freshwater habitats are exposed to threats within watershed areas, for example, from habitat degradation, dams, and landslides.

Common name: Western Spotted Skunk

Taxonomic group: Terrestrial mammals

Scientific name: Spilogale gracilis

Canadian range / known or potential jurisdictions: British Columbia, Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency

Proposed call for bids date: 2022

Rationale: Western Spotted Skunk in Canada is only found in the southwestern corner of British Columbia. The species is thought to be a habitat generalist, but in BC is found predominantly across deciduous and coniferous forest, riparian areas, and agricultural lands. Although the species is historically rare in Canada, anecdotal fur-trapping records suggest that the species was more common in southwestern BC during the 1950s and 1960s. A number of recent camera-trap studies from across the historical distribution in Canada suggest that the species is now very rare, being found only infrequently. The major threat is habitat loss associated with residential development. Trapping and road mortality could be continuing threats.