The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced it is initiating status reviews of 16 plants, eight birds and two invertebrates found in Hawai'i and protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Periodic status reviews of all listed species are required to determine whether their classification as threatened or endangered is still appropriate. To assist in its reviews, the Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking the latest scientific and commercial information from the public, government agencies, industry and the scientific and conservation communities.

"This is an opportunity for the scientific community and other interested parties to actively engage in the evaluation of the status of some of our nation's threatened and endangered species," said Dave Allen, Pacific regional director. The information should be submitted by Sept. 6 so the reviews can be completed in a timely manner, he said.

Among the Hawai'i species under review are the Kaua'i wolf cave spider and Kaua'i cave amphipod, the state's most recent additions to the endangered species list in 2000. Others, such as the Hawaiian crow or 'alala and Laysan duck, have had endangered species status since 1967.

Other birds whose status is under review are the large Kaua'i thrush, Moloka'i thrush and honeycreeper, and three other honeycreepers, the 'o'u and Kaua'i 'akialoa and 'o'o.

The plants under review include four types of 'akoko, a shrub and tree with milky sap; four types of haha, a lobelia, or tall flowering plant; 'oha wai, another lobelia; ha'iwale, a soft-wooded forest shrub with white flowers; and hau kuahiwi, a relative of the hau tree with heart-shaped leaves and red, yellow and green flowers. Five other endemic plant species under status review have no common or Hawaiian name.

The agency is seeking new information that has become available since the listing of the species. Any recommended change in classification would be subject to a separate rule-making process that includes public review and comment. If no change in classification is recommended, the species would remain under its present listing status.

Information considered in a status review includes a species' population trends, distribution, abundance and genetics; suitability and amount of habitat; conservation measures implemented to benefit the species; and the status of threats to the species.

To submit information or comments, contact the Field Supervisor, Attention: 5-year Review, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, 300 Ala Moana, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu, HI 96850. Information also may be submitted via e-mail to pifwo-5yr-review@fws.gov.