Rank and Status Definitions

PNHP biologists and other members of the Pennsylvania Biological Survey use inventory data to recommend a state rank and conservation status for species that reflects how common or rare they are in Pennsylvania. Agencies rely upon this expertise and the NatureServe status ranking process to help determine the status for each species in our lists.

Plant Status Codes and Definitions

PE	Pennsylvania Endangered - Plant species which are in danger of extinction throughout most of their natural range within this Commonwealth, if critical habitat is not maintained or if the species is greatly exploited by man. This classification shall also include any populations of plant species that have been classified as Pennsylvania Extirpated, but which subsequently are found to exist in this Commonwealth.
PT	Pennsylvania Threatened - Plant species which may become endangered throughout most or all of their natural range within this Commonwealth, if critical habitat is not maintained to prevent their future decline, or if the species is greatly exploited by man.
PR	Pennsylvania Rare - Plant species which are uncommon within this Commonwealth because they may be found in restricted geographic areas or in low numbers throughout this Commonwealth.
PX	Pennsylvania Extirpated - Plant species believed by the Department to be extinct within this Commonwealth. These plants may or may not be in existence outside the Commonwealth. If plant species classified as Pennsylvania Extirpated are found to exist, the species automatically will be considered to be classified as Pennsylvania Endangered.
PV	Pennsylvania Vulnerable - Plant species which are in danger of population decline within Commonwealth because of their beauty, economic value, use as a cultivar, or other factors which indicate that persons may seek to remove these species from their native habitats.
TU	Tentatively Undetermined - A classification of plant species which are believed to be in danger of population decline, but which cannot presently be included within another classification due to taxanomic uncertainties, limited evidence within historical records, or insufficient data.
N	No current legal status, but is under review for future listing.

Native Plant Species Legislative Authority: Title 17 Chapter 45, Conservation of Native Wild Plants, January 1, 1988; Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Wild Birds and Mammals Status Codes and Definitions

Pennsylvania Endangered - Species in imminent danger of extinction or extirpation throughout their range in Pennsylvania if the deleterious factors affecting them continue to operate. These are: 1) species whose numbers have already been reduced to a critically low level or whose habitat has been so drastically reduced or degraded that immediate action is required to prevent their extirpation from the Commonwealth; or 2) species whose extreme rarity or peripherality places them in potential danger of precipitous declines or sudden extirpation throughout their range in Pennsylvania; or 3) species that have been classified as "Pennsylvania Extirpated", but which are subsequently found to exist in Pennsylvania as long as the above conditions 1 or 2 are met; or 4) species determined to be "Endangered" pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Public Law 93 205 (87 Stat. 884), as amended.

Pennsylvania Threatened - Species that may become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout their range in Pennsylvania unless the casual factors affecting the organism are abated. These are: 1) species whose populations within the Commonwealth are decreasing or have been heavily depleted by adverse factors and while not actually endangered, are still in critical condition; 2) species whose populations may be relatively abundant in the Commonwealth but are under severe threat from serious adverse factors that have been identified and documented; or 3) species whose populations are rare or peripheral and in possible danger of severe decline throughout their range in Pennsylvania; or 4) species determined to be "Threatened" pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Public Law 93205 (87 Stat. 884), as amended, that are not listed as "Pennsylvania Endangered".

Wild Birds and Mammals Legislative Authority: Title 34 Chapter 133, Game and Wildlife Code, revised Dec. 1, 1990, Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Aquatic Organisms Status Codes and Definitions

PE	Pennsylvania Endangered - All species declared by: 1) the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior to be threatened with extinction and appear on the Endangered Species List or the Native Endangered Species List published in the Federal Register; or 2) have been declared by the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, Executive Director to be threatened with extinction and appear on the Pennsylvania Endangered Species List published by the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
PT	Pennsylvania Threatened - All species declared by: 1) the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior to be in such small numbers throughout their range that they may become endangered if their environment worsens, and appear on a Threatened Species List published in the Federal Register; or 2) have been declared by the Pennsylvania Fish Commission Executive Director to be in such small numbers throughout their range that they may become endangered if their environment worsens and appear on the Pennsylvania Threatened Species List published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
PC	Animals that could become endangered or threatened in the future. All of these are uncommon, have restricted distribution or are at risk because of certain aspects of their biology.
N	No current legal status, but is under review for future listing.

Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Aquatic Organisms Legislative Authority: Title 30, Chapter 75, Fish and Boat Code, revised February 9, 1991; Pennsylvania Fish Commission.

Federal Status Codes and Definitions

LE	Listed Endangered - A species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
LT	Listed Threatened - Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

Implied Federal Status Notations

(value)

Flagged Values. The taxon itself is not named in the Federal Register as having U.S. ESA status; however, it does have U.S. ESA status as a result of its taxonomic relationship to a named entity. For example, if a species is federally listed as endangered, then by default, all of its recognized subspecies also have endangered status. The subspecies in this example would have the value "LE ()" under U.S. ESA Status. Likewise, if all of a species' infraspecific taxa (rangewide) have the same U.S. ESA status, then that status appears in the record for the "full" species as well. In this case, if the taxon at the species level is not mentioned in the Federal Register, the status appears in NatureServe Explorer with a flag ().

Native Plant and Animal Species Legislative Authority: United States Endangered Species Act of 1973: Public Law 93-205. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

State NatureServe Rank Codes and Definitions

S1	Critically Imperiled - Critically imperiled in the nation or state because of extreme rarity (often 5 or fewer occurrences) or because of some factor(s) such as very steep declines making it especially vulnerable to extirpation from the state.
S2	Imperiled - Imperiled in the nation or state because of rarity due to very restricted range, very few populations (often 20 or fewer), steep declines, or other factors making it very vulnerable to extirpation from the nation or state.
S3	Vulnerable - Vulnerable in the nation or state due to a restricted range, relatively few populations (often 80 or fewer), recent and widespread declines, or other factors making it vulnerable to extirpation.
S4	Apparently Secure - Uncommon but not rare; some cause for long-term concern due to declines or other factors.
S5	Secure - Common, widespread, and abundant in the nation or state.
S#S#	Range Rank - A numeric range rank (e.g., S2S3 or S1S3) is used to indicate any range of uncertainty about the status of the species or ecosystem.
SNR	Not Ranked - State conservation status not yet assessed.
SU	Unknown - Currently unrankable due to lack of information or due to substantially conflicting information about status or trends.
SX	Presumed Extinct - Species or community is believed to be extirpated from the nation or state. Not located despite intensive searches of historical sites and other appropriate habitat, and virtually no likelihood that it will be rediscovered.
SH	Possibly Extinct (Historical) - Species or community occurred historically in the nation or state/province, and there is some possibility that it may be rediscovered. Its presence may not have been verified in the past 20-40 years. A species or community could become NH or SH without such a 20-40 year delay if the only known occurrences in a nation or state were destroyed or if it had been extensively and unsuccessfully looked for. The NH or SH rank is reserved for species or communities for which some effort has been made to relocate occurrences, rather than simply using this status for all elements not known from verified extant occurrences.
SNA	Not Applicable - A conservation status rank is not applicable because the species is not a suitable target for conservation activities.

Breeding Status Qualifiers

B	Breeding - Conservation status refers to the breeding population of the species in the nation or state/province.
N	Nonbreeding - Conservation status refers to the non-breeding population of the species in the nation or state/province.
M	Migrant - Migrant species occurring regularly on migration at particular staging areas or concentration spots where the species might warrant conservation attention. Conservation status refers to the aggregating transient population of the species in the nation or state/province.

Global NatureServe Rank Codes and Definitions

G1	Critically Imperiled - At very high risk of extinction due to extreme rarity (often 5 or fewer populations), very steep declines, or other factors.
G2	Imperiled - At high risk of extinction due to very restricted range, very few populations (often 20 or fewer), steep declines, or other factors.
G3	Vulnerable - At moderate risk of extinction due to a restricted range, relatively few populations (often 80 or fewer), recent and widespread declines, or other factors.
G4	Apparently Secure - Uncommon but not rare; some cause for long-term concern due to declines or other factors.
G5	Secure - Common; widespread and abundant.
G#G#	Range Rank - A numeric range rank (e.g., G2G3, G1G3) is used to indicate the range of uncertainty about the exact status of a taxon or ecosystem type.
GNR	Not Ranked - Not ranked at the global level. Applies to natural communities that have been designated at the state level but not yet reviewed globally.
GU	Unknown - Possibly in peril range wide but status uncertain; need more information.
GNA	Not Applicable - A conservation status rank is not applicable because the species is not a suitable target for conservation activities.
GX	Presumed Extinct - Believed to be extinct throughout its range. Not located despite intensive searches of historic sites and other appropriate habitat, and virtually no likelihood that it will be rediscovered.
GH	Possibly Extinct - Known from only historical occurrences. Still some hope of rediscovery.

Rank Qualifiers

?	Inexact Numeric Rank - Denotes inexact numeric rank (e.g., G2?)
Q	Questionable taxonomy - Taxonomic distinctiveness of this entity at the current level is questionable; resolution of this uncertainty may result in change from a species to a subspecies or hybrid, or the inclusion of this taxon in another taxon, with the resulting taxon having a lower-priority conservation priority.
C	Captive or Cultivated Only - At present extant only in captivity or cultivation, or as a reintroduced population not yet established.
T	Infraspecific Taxon (trinomial) - The status of infraspecific taxa (subspecies or varieties) are indicated by a "T-rank" following the species' global rank. Rules for assigning T-ranks follow the same principles outlined above for global conservation status ranks. For example, the global rank of a critically imperiled subspecies of an otherwise widespread and common species would be G5T1. A T-rank cannot imply the subspecies or variety is more abundant than the species as a whole-for example, a G1T2 cannot occur. A vertebrate animal population, such as those listed as distinct population segments under under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, may be considered an infraspecific taxon and assigned a T-rank; in such cases a Q is used after the T-rank to denote the taxon's informal taxonomic status.

NatureServe Ranks

Species List Conservation Status Definitions

Federal Status: The current federal status of a species. Federal Status is determined by the United States Endangered Species Act of 1973: Public Law 93-205. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

State Status: The current legal status of a species. An absence of status code in this field indicates that the species has no current legal status. State Status is defined by the following regulatory authorities: Plants: Title 17 Chapter 45, Conservation of Native Wild Plants, January 1, 1988; DCNR; Mammals and Birds: Title 34 Chapter 133, Game and Wildlife Code, revised Dec. 1, 1990, PGC; and Fish, Reptiles, Amphibians, And Aquatic Invertebrates: Title 30, Chapter 75, Fish and Boat Code, revised February 9, 1991; PFBC.

Proposed DCNR Status: The proposed legal status, which has not yet gone through procedures to make the changes official in the authorities listed above. An absence of status code in this field indicates that no changes to the current legal status are proposed.

Under Review: This is not a legal status, but indicates that these DCNR species are high priorities for additional research to inform the proposed state status
Delist: DCNR species proposed for delisting

Global Rank: Global Rank Conservation status ranks are based on a NatureServe standardized one to five scale, ranging from critically imperiled (G1) to demonstrably secure (G5).

State Rank: State Rank Conservation status ranks are based on a NatureServe standardized one to five scale, ranging from critically imperiled (S1) to demonstrably secure (S5).