Rusty cord-moss (Entosthodon rubiginosus) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 2

COSEWIC Executive Summary

Rusty Cord-moss
Entosthodon rubiginosus

Species information

Entosthodon rubiginosus belongs to the moss family Funariaceae, characterized by small species with a great degree of vegetative similarity. There are twelve species of Entosthodon in North America, of which only 2 are found in Canada. Entosthodon rubiginosus is a small, pale green to green moss that grows as individual stems or in tiny patches. In habitat, it is inconspicuous and often hidden among other mosses. Sporophytes are common.

Distribution

This species is endemic to western North America, found in southern British Columbia, Montana, Arizona, and New Mexico. It has been found in four sites in Canada.

Habitat

In Canada, Entosthodon rubiginosus is restricted to seasonally damp and alkaline, usually silt or clay-rich soil at the edges of ponds, lakes, and sloughs, and on seepage slopes in relatively dry environments.

Biology

Entosthodon rubiginosus grows on seasonally wet and usually alkaline soil in relatively dry environments. The production of sporophytes is common in Canadian populations and spores are probably of importance in the short-range dispersal of this species.

Population sizes and trends

At all of the known sites, Entosthodon rubiginosus is uncommon and the species is represented by a few small patches.

Limiting factors and threats

The major limiting factor and threat to Entosthodon rubiginosus is probably the trampling and general alteration of its habitat by domestic animals, in particular cattle. A further threat may be long periods of drought.

Special significance of the species

This species is endemic to North America. The British Columbia populations represent the northern extension of its range in North America. It is rare across its total range in North America.

Existing protection and other status designations

No legislation, regulations, customs, or conditions currently protect this species. It is listed as S1 at the provincial level and it is Red-listed. Globally, it is ranked G1G3.

COSEWIC History

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was created in 1977 as a result of a recommendation at the Federal-Provincial Wildlife Conference held in 1976. It arose from the need for a single, official, scientifically sound, national listing of wildlife species at risk. In 1978, COSEWIC designated its first species and produced its first list of Canadian species at risk. Species designated at meetings of the full committee are added to the list. On June 5th 2003, the Species at Risk Act (SARA) was proclaimed. SARA establishes COSEWIC as an advisory body ensuring that species will continue to be assessed under a rigorous and independent scientific process.

COSEWIC Mandate

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assesses the national status of wild species, subspecies, varieties, or other designatable units that are considered to be at risk in Canada. Designations are made on native species for the following taxonomic groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, arthropods, molluscs, vascular plants, mosses, and lichens.

COSEWIC Membership

COSEWIC comprises members from each provincial and territorial government wildlife agency, four federal agencies (Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Federal Biodiversity Information Partnership, chaired by the Canadian Museum of Nature), three non-government members and the co-chairs of the species specialist and the Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge subcommittees. The Committee meets to consider status reports on candidate species.

Definitions (November 2004)

Wildlife Species
A species, subspecies, variety, or geographically or genetically distinct population of animal, plant or other organism, other than a bacterium or virus, that is wild by nature and is either native to Canada or has extended its range into Canada without human intervention and has been present in Canada for at least 50 years..

Extinct (X)
A wildlife species that no longer exists..

Extirpated (XT)
A wildlife species no longer existing in the wild in Canada, but occurring elsewhere..

Endangered (E)
A wildlife species facing imminent extirpation or extinction..

Threatened (T)
A wildlife species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed..

Special Concern (SC)Footnote1
A wildlife species that may become a threatened or an endangered species because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats..

Not at Risk (NAR)Footnote2
A wildlife species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk of extinction given the current circumstances..

Data Deficient (DD)Footnote3
A wildlife species for which there is inadequate information to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction.

 

Canadian Wildlife Service

The Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, provides full administrative and financial support to the COSEWIC Secretariat.

 

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