Pierce in ITS^i, near Lost Water Canyon in the Pryor Mountains, 

 Carbon County. In 1985, Peter Lesica located a population in the 

 Beartooth Mountains, also in Carbon County (Lesica et al. 1986). 

 Lesica, working under contract for The Nature Conservancy, and 

 Steve Shelly of the Montana Natural Heritage Program, searched 

 many areas of the Pryor and Beartooth mountains unsuccessfully in 

 1986. During 1983, Lichvar et al. (1985) conducted a floristic 

 study of Big Horn Canyon National Recreation Area, which includes 

 the extreme east edge of the Pryor Mountains. They did not 

 locate any populations of Shoshonea. 



In 1987, the Montana Natural Heritage Program was contracted by 

 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct a status survey of 

 Shoshonea pulvinata in Montana (Project Agreement SE-3-P-1). In 

 July, 1987, under subcontract, Lesica conducted additional field 

 surveys of appropriate habitat in the Beartooth and Pryor 

 mountains of Carbon County. In August, 1987, Lesica and Shelly 

 were denied access to the Big Horn Mountains, on the Crow Indian 

 Reservation in Big Horn County, by the Crow Tribal Council 

 (Appendix A, p. 36). Although Shoshonea may be present on Crow 

 tribal lands, no information is available for this area. 



Prior to 1987, the only two occurrences of Shoshonea pulvinata 

 known in Montana were the Grove Creek Pinnacles (Beartooth 

 Mountains) and Lost Water Canyon (Pryor Mountains)). The latter 

 site could not be relocated by Lesica in 1985. During the 1987 

 field surveys, Lesica did relocate this site, and discovered one 

 additional population in the Pryor Mountains (Mystery Cave). No 

 new populations were found in the Beartooth Mountains (Figs. 1, 

 S, pp. 3-^). 



E. Comments on current alternative taxonomic treatments: There are 

 no known current alternative taxonomic treatments. 



2. Present legal or other formal status. 



A. International: None 



B. National. 



1. United States. 



3r 



Present designated or proposed legal protection or 

 regulation: Currently, Shoshonea pulvinata is under 

 notice of review for potential listing as a threatened 

 species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 

 (U.S. Department of Interior, 1985). Specifically, it 

 is included in Category 2 (taxa for which information 

 now in possession of the Service indicates that listing 

 as a threatened or endangered species is possibly 

 appropriate, but for which substantial data on 

 biological vulnerability and threats are not currently 

 known or on file to support listing). 



