HOUSTON -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has listed a blind salamander found only in Texas as endangered and a second species as threatened.
The federal agency published the rulings Tuesday. It says the Austin blind salamander is endangered. The Jollyville Plateau species is threatened. The agency says it has delayed for six months a final ruling on two other species.
The agency says the salamanders live only in a small area of Central Texas. It has designated more than 4,400 acres as critical habitat, a move that will require developers and others to work around land in one of the state s most rapidly growing urban areas.
The agency says the salamanders are threatened by a degradation of habitat, and a drop in crucial water supplies due to drought and urbanization.
