Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    • Environmental Topics
    • Air
    • Bed Bugs
    • Cancer
    • Chemicals, Toxics, and Pesticide
    • Emergency Response
    • Environmental Information by Location
    • Health
    • Land, Waste, and Cleanup
    • Lead
    • Mold
    • Radon
    • Research
    • Science Topics
    • Water Topics
    • A-Z Topic Index
    • Laws & Regulations
    • By Business Sector
    • By Topic
    • Compliance
    • Enforcement
    • Laws and Executive Orders
    • Regulations
    • Report a Violation
    • Environmental Violations
    • Fraud, Waste or Abuse
    • About EPA
    • Our Mission and What We Do
    • Headquarters Offices
    • Regional Offices
    • Labs and Research Centers
    • Planning, Budget, and Results
    • Organization Chart
    • EPA History

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Endangered Species

Fact Sheets on Twelve Endangered Species

 There are over 1,300 species listed as either endangered or threatened in the United States under the Endangered Species Act. The Fish and Wildlife Service, in the Department of the Interior, and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, in the Department of Commerce, share responsibility for administering the ESA. Their responsibilities include:

  • listing and delisting species,
  • designating critical habitat, 
  • developing recovery plans, and;
  • evaluating the status of the species every 5 years in five-year reviews. 

The National Marine Fisheries Service  manages the marine species, and the Fish and Wildlife Service manages the remainder of the listed species, the terrestrial and freshwater species. Through the Listing Program, Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service  determines whether to add a species to the Federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. Once listed, a species is afforded the full range of protections available under the ESA, including prohibitions on killing, harming, or otherwise "taking" a species.

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs has 12 species-specific Fact Sheets that offer a summary of these listed species, including their status, description, range, habitat, biology and behavior. One of these Fact Sheets, for the Karner blue butterfly, is found in conjunction with Endangered Species Protection Bulletins for specific counties in Michigan and Wisconsin. 

These species-based fact sheets offer a summary of information about certain listed species, including their description, ecology, and conservation concerns. We developed 11 of these to support implementation of requirements under the order and stipulated injunction issued in the lawsuit against EPA by the Center for Biological Diversity in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Read more about this lawsuit.

  • Alameda whipsnake (pdf) (145.25 KB)
  • Bay checkerspot butterfly  (pdf) (138.31 KB)
  • California clapper rail  (pdf) (125.25 KB)
  • California freshwater shrimp  (pdf) (144.82 KB)
  • California tiger salamander  (pdf) (133.65 KB)
  • Delta smelt  (pdf) (97.18 KB)
  • Karner blue butterfly (pdf) (163.8 KB)
  • Salt marshharvest mouse  (pdf) (112.29 KB)
  • San Joaquin kit fox (pdf) (139.73 KB)  
  • San Francisco garter snake  (pdf) (166.22 KB)
  • Tidewater goby  (pdf) (97.05 KB)
  • Valley elderberry longhorn beetle (pdf) (99.1 KB)

To find information on the threatened and endangered species that FWS and NOAA Fisheries Service protect, please visit their websites:

FWS Endangered Species 

NOAA Fisheries Service Endangered Species 

Endangered Species

  • About the Endangered Species Protection Program
  • Assessing Pesticides Under the Endangered Species Act
  • Endangered Species: Information For Pesticides Users
  • Litigation on Endangered Species and Pesticides
  • Bulletins Live!
  • For Kids
Contact Us about Protecting Endangered Species from Pesticides
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on May 22, 2025
  • Assistance
  • Spanish
  • Arabic
  • Chinese (simplified)
  • Chinese (traditional)
  • French
  • Haitian Creole
  • Korean
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Tagalog
  • Vietnamese
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Discover.

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Budget & Performance
  • Contracting
  • EPA www Web Snapshot
  • Grants
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Plain Writing
  • Privacy
  • Privacy and Security Notice

Connect.

  • Data
  • Inspector General
  • Jobs
  • Newsroom
  • Regulations.gov
  • Subscribe
  • USA.gov
  • White House

Ask.

  • Contact EPA
  • EPA Disclaimers
  • Hotlines
  • FOIA Requests
  • Frequent Questions
  • Site Feedback

Follow.