Three More Florida Species Considered For Protection: Florida pine snake, short-tailed snake and the blue calamintha bee

Two Florida snakes and an insect are being considered for protection by the U.S,. Fish and Wildlife Service. The review is still under way, but the three species made the initial cut. They are the Florida pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus), short-tailed snake (Lampropeltis extenuatum) and the blue calamintha bee (Osmia calaminthae). The two snakes have been protected species under Florida wildlife regulation for years and been long proposed for federal protection, which carries with it implementation of a recovery plan. The bee was only discovered in 2002 in Highlands County and its main host plant, Ashe’s savory, is also a rare, protected species. It was proposed for listing because of its small range, reported population decline and potential future threat of extinction.

Source: Inside Central Florida Outdoors, September 22, 2015
http://environment.blogs.theledger.com/14848/three-more-florida-species…