Category Archives: animals

Aylacostoma guaraniticum (Hylton Scott)

Guaranita Aylacostoma Snail (Aylacostoma guaraniticum)

This species was described in 1954, it inhabited highly oxygenated freshwater habitats near the Yacyretá-Apipé rapids in the high Paraná river at the border area between Argentinia and Paraguay.

It shared this habitat with two other species from the same genus, the Green Aylacostoma Snail (Aylacostoma chloroticum Hylton Scott) and the Stigmated Aylacostoma Snail (Aylacostoma stigmaticum Hylton Scott), all described by the same author at the same time.

The habitat of these three species was destroyed by the building of dams and by the filling of the Yacyretá reservoir in the early 1990s, leading to the extinction of at least two of the three species, including the Guaranita Aylacostoma Snail. [1]

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References:

[1] Roberto E. Vogler; Ariel A. Beltramino; Juana G. Peso; Alejandra Rumi: Threatened gastropods under the evolutionary genetic species concept: redescription and new species of the genus Aylacostoma (Gastropoda: Thiaridae) from High Paraná River (Argentina–Paraguay). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 172: 501-520. 2014

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edited: 24.11.2018

Pararrhaptica chlorippa (Meyrick)

Green Kolea Leafroller (Pararrhaptica chlorippa)

This species was described in 1928; it is only known from the slopes of the Pu’u Ohia (Mt. Olympus) on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.

The larvae are known to feed on the Hawaiian endemic kōlea lau nui (Myrsine lessertiana A. DC.).

The species was last recorded in 1911 and is now believed to be extinct.

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References:

[1] Kyhl A. Austin; Daniel Rubinoff: Rediscoveries and presumed extinctions of Hawaiian leaf-roller moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 55: 11-27. 2023

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edited: 03.12.2023

Dupontia affouchensis Griffiths

L’Affouche Dupontio Snail (Dupontia affouchensis)

This species was described in 2000 on the basis of a single subfossil specimen that had been found in 1997 in limestone scree of the Caverne L’Affouche on the island of Rodrigues; the specimen was found together with the bones of tortoises (Cylindraspis sp.) and the Solitaire (Pezophas solitarius (Gmelin)) which both are now likewise extinct. Additional specimens were subsequently found in other caves in the south-west of Rodrigues.

The shells reach heights of about 0.55 cm; they are depressed, thin and pale glossy white with a thin brown band bordering the suture and continuing on the last whorl just above the rounded periphery.

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References:

[1] Owen Lee Griffiths: Nine new species of Mascarene land snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Molluscan Research 20(2): 37-50. 2000

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edited: 29.01.2024

Edolisoma coerulescens ssp. alterum Wardlaw-Ramsay

Cebu Blackish Cicadabird (Edolisoma coerulescens ssp. alterum)

The Blackish Cicadabird (Edolisoma coerulescens (Blyth)) is endemic to the Philippines, where three subspecies are recognized, of which two again are now considered extinct, leaving only the nominate race which inhabits the islands of Catanduanes and Luzon in the northern part of the Philippines.

***

The Cebu Blackish Cicadabird, which was endemic to the island of Cebu, was described in 1881, originally as a distinct species.

The form was not recorded since 1906 and probably died out sometimes after that date due to the extreme deforestation of its habitat.

***

syn. Coracina coerulescens ssp. altera (Wardlaw-Ramsay), Edolisoma alterum Wardlaw-Ramsay

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Blackish Cicadabird (Edolisoma coerulescens); nominate form

Photo: Forest Botial-Jarvis
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/tiluchi
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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edited: 06.02.2024

Aptostichus lucerne Bond

Deadman’s Trapdoor Spider (Aptostichus lucerne)

The Deadman’s Trapdoor Spider was described in 2012 during a genus revision; it is known only from two male specimens that were collected in 1957 at a place named as Deadman’s Point in the Lucerne Valley in San Bernardino County, California, USA.

The species has never been found since the collection of the type material and is considered probably extinct. [1]

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Photo from: ‘Jason E. Bond: Phylogenetic treatment and taxonomic revision of the trapdoor spider genus Aptostichus Simon (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Euctenizidae). ZooKeys 252: 1-209. 2012’

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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References:

[1] Jason E. Bond: Phylogenetic treatment and taxonomic revision of the trapdoor spider genus Aptostichus Simon (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Euctenizidae). ZooKeys 252: 1-209. 2012

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edited: 08.08.2022

Rallidae gen. & sp. ‘Ilha da Trindade’

Trindade Rail (Rallidae gen. & sp.)

The Ilha da Trindade is a volcanic island that is located in the Atlantic Ocea, about 1150 km offshore the Brazilian eastern coast.

The island harbors some sea birds but is surprisingly lacking any land birds, a situation that is highly unlikely, not only in my own opinion ….:

In my opinion, it is highly unlikely that there was not an endemic species of rail (Rallidae) on Trindade in the past, as there was ample habitat and these birds successfully colonized all the other South Atlantic islands …. That I was unable to find any fossil remains of such a bird may perhaps be attributed to my usual good fortune temporarily running out. The great abundance of land crabs on Trindade may also have reduced the chances of any rail carcasses surviving long enough to be preserved, although this did not prevent rail bones from being fossilized on Fernando de Noronha, where land crabs also occur.” [1]

If there have been any land birds living on the island (and there surely have), they must have become extinct very shortly after the discovery of the island in 1502, followed by the inevitable introduction of cats, mice (but fortunately no rats) and several kinds of grazing mammals.

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References:

[1] S. L. Olson: Natural history of vertebrates on the Brazilian islands of the mid South Atlantic. National Geographic Society Research Reports 13: 481-492. 1981

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edited: 03.05.2022

Nactus sp. ‘Rodrigues’

Giant Rodrigues Night Gecko (Nactus sp.)

This is one of two species of the genus that formerly inhabited the island of Rodrigues in the Mascarene Islands.

The species disappeared shortly after the arrival of the first human settlers in the early 16th century. [1]

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References:

[1] Anthony Cheke; Julian P. Hume: Lost Land of the Dodo: The ecological history of Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues. Yale University Press 2008

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edited: 04.05.2022

Thyrocopa sapindiella Swezey

Aulu Thyrocopa Moth (Thyrocopa sapindiella)

This species was described in 1913; it is known exclusively from specimens that were found in the Niu Valley near the southeastern coast of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.

The species reaches a wingspan of about 1.8 cm; the head is whitish brown; the thorax and the abdomen are very light whitish brown; the forewings are mainly very light whitish brown with a few brown scales scattered throughout and a very small, faint brownish spot in the cell; the hindwings are very light whitish brown.

The caterpillars are thought to feed on the leaves of the Hawaiian endemic ko’oloa (Abutilon spp.) and āulu (Sapindus spp.).:

The caterpillars were quite numerous on some trees. The small ones feed on the under surface of the leavs [sic], each producing a web covered with frass under which it feeds, eating off the surface of the leaf. The larger ones hide in rolled-together leaves, often several leaves in a bunch fastened together and there may be two or more caterpillars, each in a silken tunnel.

Pupa 9 mm. … The pupa is formed within the spun-together leaves where the caterpillar fed.
” [1]

***

This species is now possibly extinct.

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References: 

[1] O. H. Swezey: One new genus and eighteen new species of Hawaiian moths. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 2: 269-280. 1908-1913
[2] Matthew J. Medeiros: A revision of the endemic Hawaiian genus Thyrocopa (Lepidoptera: Xyloryctidae: Xyloryctinae). Zootaxa 2202: 1-47. 2009 

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edited: 18.02.2024

Branta hylobadistes Olson & James 

Great Nene (Branta hylobadistes)

The Great Nene was described in 1991 based on subfossil bones found on the island of Maui (it may also have lived at least on the neighboring islands of Lana’i and Moloka’i). 

The extinct species was slightly larger than the Hawaiian Nene (Branta sandvicensis (Vigors)) (see photo below) but was otherwise quite identical to that species.

*** 

Some of the bones, that are assigned to this species, come from individuals that were still volant while others appear to have been flightless. [1]

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Hawaii Geese (Branta sandvicensis)  

Photo: Kim Starr & Forest Starr; by courtesy of Kim Starr & Forest Starr  
http://www.starrenvironmental.com

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References:  

[1] S. L. Olson; H. F. James: Descriptions of thirty-two new species of birds from the Hawaiian Islands: Part I. Non-Passeriformes. Ornithological Monographs 45: 1-91. 1991  

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edited: 05.05.2022

Turdus sp. ‘Gymnesian Islands’

Gymnesian Thrush (Turdus sp.)

This form is known from fossil remains that were found on the island of Mallorca, Spain and that are of Late Paleistocene/Early Holocene age.

They appear to be at least 10% larger than corresponding compariative material of the largest known Turdus spp. and may be identical with another large thrush species that was described in 2004 as Meridiocichla salotti Louchart. [1]

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References:

[1] Antoine Louchart: An extinct large thrush (Aves: Turdidae) from the late Quaternary of Mediterranean Europe. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie 233(2): 257-296. 2004

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edited: 02.01.2023

Hyperaulax ramagei (E. A. Smith)

Ramage’s Noronha Snail (Hyperaulax ramagei)

Ramage’s Noronha Snail was described in 1890; it is only known from the main island of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago offshore north-eastern Brazil, where they were found to be “imbedded in sandy mud on a raised reef and have a semi-fossilized appearance”. [1]

The species must have gone extinct somewhat prior to their description as many specimens appeared quite fresh and still were bearing an intact periostracum (see photo below).

***

The genus contains one additional species, also endemic to the same archipelago, Ridley’s Noronha snail (Hyperaulax ridleyi (E. A. Smith)); this species is still alive today. [2][3]

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Photo from: ‘Rodrigo B. Salvador; Daniel C. Cavallari: Taxonomic revision of the genus Hyperaulax Pilsbry, 1897 (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Odontostomidae). Zoosystematics and Evolution 95(2): 453-463. 2019’

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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References:

[1] H. N. Smith: Mollusca. In: Ridley HN, ed. Notes on the Zoology of Fernando Noronha. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 20: 473-570. 1890
[2] A. V. L. Freitas; M. S. Miranda; f. D. Passos: Land snails of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, Brazil. American Malacological Bulletin 37: 66-69. 2019
[3] Rodrigo B. Salvador; Daniel C. Cavallari; Carl C. Christensen; André V. L. Freitas; Marcel S. Miranda; Flávio D. Passos: The endemic land snails of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, Brasil. Tentacle 30: 6-8. 2022

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edited: 22.01.2024

Strabomantis cadenai (Lynch)

Nutibara Robber Frog (Strabomantis cadenai)

The Nutibara Robber Frog is known from a single specimen that was found in 1982 in the vicinity of the Alto Río Cuevas near the City of Frontino at the western flanks of the Cordillera Occidental in Colombia.

The species has not been found subsequently and might now be extinct.

***

The photo below shows another species of that genus, Ruiz’s Robber Frog (Strabomantis ruizi (Lynch)); this species is also endemic to Colombia and is threatened but not yet extinct.

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Ruiz’s Robber Frog (Strabomantis ruizi)

Photo: Thibaud Aronson
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/thibaudaronson
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

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edited: 11.02.2024

Anoma gossei (Pfeiffer)

Gosse’s Anoma Snail (Anoma gossei)

Gosse’s Anoma Snail was described in 1846, the species is, or rather was, endemic to the island of Jamaica.

The shells are about 1,8 to 2,1 cm heigth, they appear quite thin, have up to 16 whorls and are somewhat translucent bluish white. [1] 

The species is considered probably extinct.

***

syn. Cylindrella gossei Pfeifer, Macroceramus pfeifferi Martens

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Depiction from: ‘Louis Pfeiffer: Die Gattung Cylindrella Pfr.: in Abbildungen nach der Natur. Nürnberg: Verlag von Bauer und Raspe, Julius Merz 1862’

(not in copyright)

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References:  

[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 16: Urocoptidae, Achatinidae. 1904

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edited: 22.09.2020

Cirrospilus nireus Walker

Saint Helena Eulophid Wasp (Cirrospilus nireus)

This species was described in 1839, it is apparently known only from material that was collected on the island of Saint Helena but was never recorded since. 

It is, however, “a doubtful species, as Francis Walker is well known for re-naming species that had previously been described.” [1]

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References:

[1] James K. Wetterer; Xavier Espadaler; N. Philip Ashmole; Howard Mendel; Chris Cutler; Judith Endeman: Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the South Atlantic islands of Ascension Island, St Helena, and Tristan da Cunha. Myrmecological News 10: 29-37. 2007

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edited: 29.05.2021

Nesopupa sp. ‘Majuro’

Majuro Nesopupa Snail (Nesopupa sp.)

This form is known exclusively from a single specimen that was discovered during excavations on the Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands.

The genus is in need of a revision, and this might have been a widespread species, introduced to the atoll by humans, but it might also have been an endemic, now extinct species and is thus mentioned here. [1] 

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References:

[1] Carl. C. Christensen; Marshall I. Weisler: Land snails from archaeological sites in the Marshall Islands, with remarks on prehistoric translocations in tropical Oceania. Pacific Science 67(1): 81-104. 2013

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edited: 22.04.2019

Nesoenas picturata ssp. rostrata (Bonaparte)

Seychelles Turtle Dove (Nesoenas picturata ssp. rostrata)

The Seychelles Turtle Dove is a subspecies of the Madagascar Turtle Dove (Nesoenas picturata (Temminck)); as its name implies, it inhabited to Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. It is known to have inhabited at least the islands of Cousin and Cousine, Mahé and Praslin, as well as Aride- and Bird Island, where the last pure-bred birds were found.

The form is sometimes considered a full species; it disappeared du to hybridization with (nominate) Madagascar Turtle Doves, that somehow reached the Seychelles, either by themselves or with human aid. No pure-bred birds are known to exist now; however, their genes live on in the turtle dove population that now inhabits the Seychelles.
***

syn. Streptopelia picturata ssp. rostrata (Bonaparte)

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References:

[1] Julian P. Hume: Extinct Birds. 2. Edition. Bloomsbury Natural History 2017

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edited: 07.05.2022

Heligmonevra insularis Engel

Seychelles Robber Fly (Heligmonevra insularis)

The Seychelles Robber Fly was described in 1927.

The species was endemic to the forested areas of the Seychelles Islands, where it actively hunted for other insects, especially for other fly species.

The species disappeared due to changes in its habitat due to large-scaled deforestation.

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References:

[1] Justin Gerlach: Red Listing reveals the true state of biodiversity: a comprehensive assessment of Seychelles biodiversity. Phesluma 20: 9-22. 2012

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edited: 25.04.2022

Plectostoma tenggekensis Liew, Vermeulen, Marzuki & Schilthuizen

Tenggek Karst Snail (Plectostoma tenggekensis)

The Tenggek Karst Snail was described in 2014; it is only known from the type locality: Bukit Tenggek in Pahang, central Peninsular Malaysia.

The shells reach sizes of 0.16 to 0.17 cm in height; the apical spire is depressed, the basal spire is conical and the whorl periphery is moderately convex, the umbilicus is open.

The only known locality where this species was known to occur, is now completely destroyed by limestone quarrying.

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Photo from: ‘Thor-Seng Liew; Jaap Jan Vermeulen; Mohammad Effendi bin Marzuki; Menno Schilthuizen: A cybertaxonomic revision of the micro-landsnail genus Plectostoma Adam (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda, Diplommatinidae), from Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Indochina. ZooKeys 393: 1-107. 2014’

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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References:

[1] Thor-Seng Liew; Jaap Jan Vermeulen; Mohammad Effendi bin Marzuki; Menno Schilthuizen: A cybertaxonomic revision of the micro-landsnail genus Plectostoma Adam (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda, Diplommatinidae), from Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Indochina. ZooKeys 393: 1-107. 2014

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edited: 01.03.2024

Helenoconcha perarmata (Smith)

Well-armed Saint Helena Snail (Helenoconcha perarmata)

The Well-armed Saint Helena Snail was described in 1893; it was restricted to the island of Saint Helena, where it was found on Diana’s Peak, the island’s highest mountain.

The species is apparently known from only two specimens, which differ from each other in the height of their spire; they reach sizes of about 0,3 cm in diameter. [1]

***

This form might be identical with the Six-toothed Saint Helena Snail (Helenoconcha sexdentata (Smith)), with which it was described. 

As mentioned under that species, the Saint Helena Gastropoda species are in urgent need of a proper revision! 

***

syn. Patula perarmata Smith

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Depiction from: ‘Edgar A. Smith: Descriptions of two new species of Patula from St. Helena. The Conchologist 2(7): 164-165. 1893’

(public domain)

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References:

Edgar A. Smith: Descriptions of two new species of Patula from St. Helena. The Conchologist 2(7): 164-165. 1893

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edited: 30.05.2021

Carposina sp. ‘new species 3’

Oahu Leaf-mining Carposina Moth (Carposina sp.)  

This species is basically known only from an account made in 1913 by the entomologist Otto Herman Swezey.:

The larvae mine the leaves of Rollandia racemosa [Cyanea humboldtiana (Gaudich.) Lammers, Givnish & Sytsma]. They feed largely in the midrib, following it outwardly, but eat lateral tunnels out into the mesophyll on both sides as they proceed. Usually there is but one larva in a leaf. I have found this in but one locality so far, on Mt. Olympus, Oahu. The leaves of the shrub were very commonly attacked by it. The leaves are quite large and are not entirely killed by the injury, but many may be seen with the injured portion decayed away leaving an irregular hole or space in mid-portion of leaf. The full-grown larva emerges and passes below to pupate in a slight cocoon amongst dead leaves or trash.” [1]

There appears to have also existed at least one specimen, but it seems to have been lost; because no leaf-mining species of that genus is found today in the type locality or on O’ahu, to be precise, this species is considered extinct. [2]

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References:

[1] Elwood C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii 9; Microlepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1978
[2] Camiel Doorenweerd; Kyhl A. Austin; Daniel Rubinoff: First confirmed record of leaf mining in the fruitworm moths (Carposinidae): A new species feeding on an endemic Hawaiian Clermontia (Campanulaceae). Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 53: 11-19. 2021

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edited: 21.01.2022

Xyleborus exsectus Perkins

Cut-off Bark Beetle (Xyleborus exsectus)

The Cut-off Bark beetle was described in 1900; it is known only from some male specimens that were collected on the slopes of the Haleakalā volcano on the island of Maui, Hawaiian Islands.

The species is only known from the type series that was collected in 1894 and 1896 respectively, it is possibly extinct.
***

However, it is possible that this taxon is not valid at all and in fact is identical with the Molokai Bark Beetle (Xyleborus molokaiensis Perkins) which is more widespread and of which only female specimens ae known. [1]

Otherwise, there is also the possibility that it might be rediscovered as it has happened with at least two other congeneric species. [2][3]

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References:

[1] G. A. Samuelson: A synopsis of Hawaiian Xyleborini. Pacific Insects 23(1-2): 50-92. 1981
[2] Conrad P. D. T. Gillett; Ishakh Pulakkatu-Thodi; Daniel Rubinoff: Rediscovery of an Enigmatic Bark Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The Coleopterists Bulletin 72(4): 811-815. 2018
[3] Conrad P. D. T. Gillett; David Honsberger; Daniel Rubinoff: Rediscovery of the Hawaiian endemic bark beetle Xyleborus pleiades Samuleson, 1981 on Moloka‘i, with records of three new exotic bark beetles for the island (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini). Journal of Natural History 53(23-24): 1481-1490. 2020

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edited: 16.02.2024

Azurina eupalama Heller & Snodgrass

Galapagos Damsel (Azurina eupalama)

The Galapagos Damsel was, as its name implies, endemic to the Galápagos Islands.

The species was formerly common in localized aggregations in the waters surrounding the islands of Española, Floreana, Isabela, Marchena, San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Santa Fé, and Santiago but begun to decline in 1983 during a devastating El Niño year and was finally not seen again since.

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Depiction from: ‘Edmund Heller; Robert E. Snodgrass: Papers from the Hopkins Stanford Galapagos Expedition, 1898-1899. XV. New fishes. Proceedings of the Washington Academy of Sciences 5: 189-229. 1903’

(public domain)

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References:

[1] Graham J. Edgar; Stuart A. Banks; Margarita Brandt; Rodrigo H. Bustamantes; Angel Chiriboga; Lauren E. Garske; Peter W. Glynn; Jack S. Grove; Scott Henderson; Cleve P. Hickman; Kathy A. Miller; Fernando Rivera; Gerald M. Wellington: El Niño, grazers and fisheries interact to greatly elevate extinction risk for Galapagos marine species. Global Change Biology 16: 2876-2890. 2010

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edited: 29.11.2018

Megalomma sp. ‘Rodrigues 1’

Rodrigues Tiger Beetle (Megalomma sp.)

This species is known from subfossil material (at least one prothorax), which shows that the species apparently was shiny coppery-colored in life.

***

The genus Megalomma contains at least six recent species, all endemic to the Mascarene Islands.

***

The photo below shows a closely related species from the nearby island of Mauritius, the Shining Megalomma Tiger Beetle (Megalomma fulgens (W. Horn))

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Shining Megalomma Tiger Beetle (Megalomma fulgens)

Photo: CORDENOS Thierry
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/thierrycordenos
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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edited: 06.02.2024

Lepidocephalus pahangensis (de Beaufort)

Pahang Spirit Loach (Lepidocephalus pahangensis)

The Pahang Spirit Loach was described in 1933; it is only known from a small part of the Pahang River on the Malaysian Peninsula.

The species reaches, or reached, a length of only about 3.58 cm; it has eyes and a dark-pigmented, pinkish grey-brown body and can be distinguished from its congeners by the absence of scales on top of the head. [1]

The species’ habitat was subject to extensive habitat degradation; the Pahang Spirit Loach has never been found since 1933 despite extensive surveys, it is very likely extinct now.

***

syn. Acanthophthalmus pahangensis de Beaufort

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References:

[1] Gridsana Deein; Weerapongse Tangjitjaroen; Lawrence M. Page: A revision of the spirit loaches, genus Lepidocephalus (Cypriniformes, Cobitidae). Zootaxa 3779(3): 341-352. 2014

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edited: 24.02.2024

Xyleborus littoralis Perkins

Littoral Bark Beetle (Xyleborus littoralis)

The Littoral Bark Beetle was described in 1900; it is only known from areas at sea level on the island of Moloka’i, Hawaiian Islands.

The species was last seen in 189, when the type material was collected, it is possibly extinct. [1]

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References:

[1] G. A. Samuelson: A synopsis of Hawaiian Xyleborini. Pacific Insects 23(1-2): 50-92. 1981

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edited: 16.02.2024

Philydor novaesi Teixeira & Gonzaga

Alagoas Foliage-Gleaner (Philydor novaesi)

The Alagoas Foliage-Gleaner was described in 1983, it was restricted to the states of Alagoas and Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil, where it preferablky inhabited tropical lowland forest but was also found in second-growth forest at elevations of up to 400 to 550 m.

The species apparently was most closely related to the Black-capped Foliage-gleaner (Philydor atricapillus (Wied)) (see photo), it reached a size of about 18 cm and was mainly inconspicuously brown colored.

The Alagoas Foliage-Gleaner has disappeared from its former distribution area due to habitat destruction mainly by forest clearance for agricultural purposes, since 2018 it is considered most likely extinct.

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Black-capped Foliage-gleaner (Philydor atricapillus)

Photo: Dario Sanches
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0

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edited: 01.09.2019

Mellissius popei Endrödi

Pope’s Scarab Beetle (Mellissius popei)

This species was described in 1972, it is, or maybe was, endemic to the island of Saint Helena.

The species reaches a length of about 1,7 to 1,8 cm; it is mainly brown colored and differs from its close relative, the Eudoxus Scarab Beetle (Mellissius eudoxus Wollaston) in some characters including a less arched pronotum. [1]

The species was apparently not found during the most recent field searches and is probably extinct.

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References:

[1] S. Endrödi: Monographie der Dynastinae (Col. Lamellicornia, Melolonthidae) 4. Tribus: Pentodontini der äthiopischen Region, III. In: Entomologische Arbeiten aus dem Museum G. Frey Tutzing bei München 27: 118-282. 1976

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edited: 26.05.2021

Dreissena elata Andrusov

Triangular Mussel (Dreissena elata)

The Triangular Mussel was described in 1897; the species was endemic to the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Between 1917 and 1919, the Dwarf Mussel was introduced to the Caspian Sea; this invasive species multiplied successfully and replaced the native mussel banks.

The Triangular Mussel was last found alive in 1957, it is now extinct. [1]

***

syn. Dreissena polynorpha var elata Andrusov

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References:

[1] Frank P. Wesselingh; Thomas A. Neubauer; Vitaliy V. Anistratenko; Maxim V. Vinarski; Tamara Yanina; Jan Johan ter Poorten; Pavel Kijashko; Christian Albrecht; Olga Yu. Anistratenko; Anouk D’Hont; Pavel Frolov; Alberto Martínez Gándara; Arjan Gittenberger; Aleksandre Gogaladze; Mikhail Karpinsky; Matteo Lattuada; Luis Popa; Arthur F. Sands; Sabrina van de Velde; Justine Vandendorpe; Thomas Wilke: Mollusc species from the Pontocaspian region – an expert opinion list. ZooKeys 827: 31-124. 2019

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edited: 18.11.2021

Leuctra laura Hitchcock

Hampshire Needlefly (Leuctra laura)

The Hampshire Needlefly was described in 1969; it is known only from two specimens, a male and a female, that were collected on Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, USA.

The species might be extinct; however, its taxonomic validity is questioned.

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edited: 17.02.2024

Sylvietta chapini Schouteden

Chapin’s Crombec (Sylvietta chapini)

This species, also known as the Lendu Crombec, described in 1947, was restricted to the Lendu Plateau in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The species is often considered a subspecies of the White-browed Crombec (Sylvietta leucophrys Sharpe) (see photo below) but differs significantly from that species and should indeed be treated as distinct. [1]

Chapin’s Crombec has not been recorded in recent times and seems to be extinct.

***

syn. Sylvietta leucophrys ssp. chapini Schouteden

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White-browed Crombec (Sylvietta leucophrys)

Photo: Nik Borrow
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/nikborrow
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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References:

[1] L. D. C. Fishpool; N. J. Collar: The taxonomic and conservation status of Chapin’s Crombec Sylvietta (leucophrys) chapini. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 13(2): 130-135. 2006
[2] Stuart H. M. Butchart; Stephen Lowe; Rob W. Martin; Andy Symes; James R. S. Westrip; Hannah Wheatley: Which bird species have gone extinct? A novel quantitative classification approach. Biological Conservation 227: 9-18. 2018

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edited: 17.01.2024

Orobophana berniceia ssp. ‘Wailua’

Wailua Orobophana Snail (Orobophana berniceia ssp.)

This supposed geographical race, or subspecies of the Limahuli Orobophana Snail (Orobophana berniceira(Pilsbry & Cooke)) is known from several shells that were found south of the Wailua River at the western coast of Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands.

These shells were nearly all of equal size and in average reached sizes of about 0,27 cm in height and 0,3 cm in diameter. [1]

***

The Wailua Orobophana Snail, whatever its taxonomic status might be, is clearly extinct now.

*********************

References:

[1] Norine W. Yeung; Kenneth A. Hayes: Biodiversity and extinction of Hawaiian land snails: how many are left now and what must we do to conserve them – a reply to. Integrative and Comparative Biology 58(6): 1157-1169. 2018

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edited: 18.05.2019

Amarygmus funebris Arrow

Dark Darkling Beetle (Amarygmus funebris)

The Dark Darkling Beetle was described in 1900 based on nine specimens that had been collected on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.

The species reached a length of about 0,9 cm; “the colour is black, tinged with a deep purplish or greenish hue, especially upon the head, thorax, and anterior part of the elytra. Some specimens present a slightly sericeous bloom upon the upper surface. Underneath it is a shining black, with the abdominal segment striated longitudinally.” [1]

The Dark Darkling Beetle was not found since the 1930s and is considered very likely extinct. [2]

*********************

References:

[1] Charles William Andrews: A monograph of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean). London: printed by order of the Trustees 1900
[2] John Woinarski: A Bat’s End: The Christmas Island Pipistrelle and Extinction in Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Victoria, Australia 2018

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edited: 27.04.2022

Erpornis zantholeuca ssp. saani Chasen

Sumatran Erpornis (Erpornis zantholeuca ssp. saani)

This taxon was described in 1939; it is apparently known from a single specimen that had been obtained somewhere in north-western Sumatra, Indonesia as well as from three additional records.

The Sumatran birds differ from the other subspecies by their greenish back and a slightly darker crest.

This taxon might well be extinct now.

***

The photo below shows another subspecies, the Greyish Erpornis (Erpornis zantholeuca ssp. canescensDelacour & Jabouille) which is endemic to the island of Borneo, Indonesia.

*********************

Bornean Erpornis (Erpornis zantholeuca ssp. brunnescens)

Photo: Spark
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/sparkn
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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edited: 24.01.2024

Camponotus fabricator (F. Smith)

Saint Helena Carpenter Ant (Camponotus fabricator)

The Saint Helena Carpenter Ant was described in 1858 on the basis of at least a single worker (?), which was supposedly collected at an unknown date somewhere on the island of Saint Helena.

The species was repeatedly reclassified as a subspecies of other, African or European, species but was finally accepted as being valid in 1914. [1]

***

There are no recent records of this form, and it is believed to be extinct; however, it might in fact not even be native to Saint Helena but might have been an introduced form brought to the island with imported goods. [1]

***

syn. Formica fabricator F. Smith

*********************

References:

[1] James K. Wetterer; Xavier Espadaler; N. Philip Ashmole; Howard Mendel; Chris Cutler; Judith Endeman: Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the South Atlantic islands of Ascension Island, St Helena, and Tristan da Cunha. Myrmecological News 10: 29-37. 2007

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edited: 29.05.2021

Leiothrix lutea ssp. astleyi Delacour

Astley’s Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea ssp. astleyi)

Astley’s Red-billed Leiothrix, described in 1921, is apparently known from two specimens, a male and a female that were found in an aviary somewhere in China.

This form differs from the other subspecies by its forehead and crown being strongly tinged with orange-scarlet instead of being olive green; by the eyebrows and ear coverts being likewise strongly tinged with orange-scarlet instead of being greyish or greenish white; the breast is said to be strongly scarlet instead of yellow and orange; the female is paler and has the ear coverts are yellowish orange. 

According to this description these birds were superficially obviously quite similar to the one depicted below.

Astley’s Red-billed Leiothrix, whose taxonomical status is disputed, has never been recorded since its description and, if indeed it is a distinct taxon, is now extinct. [1]

***

syn. Leiothrix astleyi Delacour

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Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea ssp.) unspecified subspecies, photographed in Japan where it has been introduced and is now feral

Photo: Alpsdake
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

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References:

[1] Julian P. Hume: Extinct Birds. 2. Edition. Bloomsbury Natural History 2017

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edited: 22.01.2024

Amastra uniplicata ssp. vetuscula Cooke

Maunaloa Amastra Snail (Amastra uniplicata ssp. vetuscula)

The Maunaloa Amastra Snail was described in 1917; it is known from (sub)fossil remains that were recovered from Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene deposits near the northern shore of Molokai’, Hawaiian Islands.

A very few imperfect specimens were found by Pilsbry and Cooke in 1913 at Moomomi where this variety is extremely rare. Further west, especially in the shifting sands, it occurs more abundantly but is not a common species in any locality. it has been found sparingly in all the known fossil deposits from Puukapele west to the shifting sands. This variety is readily separated from the typical form by its less tumid last whorl, more cylindrical form and malleate surface.” [1]

The shells reach sizes of about 1,8 to 2 cm in height.

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Photo from: ‘C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917’

(public domain)

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References:

[1] C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917

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edited: 04.05.2022

Pycnomerus sp. ‘Nuku Hiva’

Nuku Hiva Ironclad Beetle (Pycnomerus sp.)

This interesting taxon is known only on the basis of two subfossil remains that were recovered from an archeological site in the Ho’oumi Valley on the island of Nuku Hiva, Marquesas. [1]

Within the Polynesian region, this genus now very likely contains more species known only from subfossil remains than living ones.

*********************  

References:  

[1] Melinda S. Allen; Tara Lewis; Nick Porch: Lost bioscapes: Floristic and arthropod diversity coincident with 12th century Polynesian settlement, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands. PLoS ONE 17(3): e0265224. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0265224

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edited: 20.02.2024

Amastra montivaga Cooke

Mountain-wandering Amastra Snail (Amastra montivaga)

The Mountain-wandering Amastra Snail was described in 1917; it was found on the Kalihi Ridge, which is a mountainous region on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.

“A. montivaga is undoubtedly a dirivative [sic] of A. textilis. It differs from the latter species by its smaller size, thinner shell, more convex whorls (which are shouldered below), deeper sutures, etc.” [1]

The shells of this species reach sizes of 1,2 to 1,6 cm in height.

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Photo from: ‘C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917’

(public domain)

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References:

[1] C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917

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edited: 04.05.2022

Carposina sp. ‘new species 6’

Maui Leaf-mining Carposina Moth (Carposina sp.)  

We know of the former existence of this taxon only by an account made by the entomologist Otto Herman Swezey in 1954, mentioned later by Elwood C. Zimmerman.:

Carposina new species 6.
“Heterocrossa sp., near bicincta” Swezey, 1954: 116

Endemic. Maui (Haelaau)
Hostplant: Clermontia kakeana and arborescens. The larvae mine the leaves.
” [1]

The specimen or specimens that were reared from the caterpillars collected from its host plants are now apparently lost; the species was never recorded again and is thus considered extinct. 

*********************

References:

[1] Elwood C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii 9; Microlepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1978
[2] Camiel Doorenweerd; Kyhl A. Austin; Daniel Rubinoff: First confirmed record of leaf mining in the fruitworm moths (Carposinidae): A new species feeding on an endemic Hawaiian Clermontia (Campanulaceae). Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 53: 11-19. 2021

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edited: 21.01.2022

Miocalles sp. ‘Nuku Hiva1’

Nukuhiva Miocalles Weevil (Miocalles sp.)

The genus is occurring in French Polynesia with more than 100 species, all of which are endemic to a single island; however, only three of them are found on the Marquesan Islands. This number must once have been larger as being indicated by subfossil findings.

This taxon is one of two that are known from subfossil remains (two in that case) that were recovered from an archeological site in the Ho’oumi Valley on the island of Nuku Hiva, Marquesas. [1]

*********************  

References:  

[1] Melinda S. Allen; Tara Lewis; Nick Porch: Lost bioscapes: Floristic and arthropod diversity coincident with 12th century Polynesian settlement, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands. PLoS ONE 17(3): e0265224. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0265224

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edited: 20.02.2024

Laemophloeidae gen. & sp. ‘Nuku Hiva 1’

Nuku Hiva Lined Flat Bark Beetle (Laemophloeidae gen. & sp.)

This taxon is known from subfossil material that was recovered from an archeological site in the Ho’oumi Valley on the island of Nuku Hiva, Marquesas.

Today, no indigenous member of this family is known to inhabit the Marquesas; however, two genera with one species each are known to be indigenous to the Society Islands which represents the geographically closest region in French Polynesia.

*********************

left elytron

Photo from: ‘Melinda S. Allen; Tara Lewis; Nick Porch: Lost bioscapes: Floristic and arthropod diversity coincident with 12th century Polynesian settlement, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands. PLoS ONE 17(3): e0265224. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0265224’

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en

*********************  

References:  

[1] Melinda S. Allen; Tara Lewis; Nick Porch: Lost bioscapes: Floristic and arthropod diversity coincident with 12th century Polynesian settlement, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands. PLoS ONE 17(3): e0265224. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0265224

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edited: 27.01.2024

Tylomys tumbalensis Merriam

Tumbala Climbing Rat (Tylomys tumbalensis)  

The Tumbala Climbing Rat was described in 1901; it is known from a single specimen that was collected from the tropical forest that formerly covered the area that today is occupied by the town of Tumbalá in Chiapas, Mexico.

The locality is now more or less completely deforested, thus the species’ habitat is lost, making the survival of the The Tumbala Climbing Rat highly improbable, it is very likely extinct.

***

The closest relative of the Tumbala Climbing Rat is Peter’s Climbing Rat (Tylomus nudicaudus (Peters)) that is quite widespread and is found in most of Central America, it is depicted below.

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Peter’s Climbing Rat (Tylomus nudicaudus)

Photo: Daniel Dorantes
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/danieldorantes7
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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edited: 19.02.2024

Orobophana juddii (Pilsbry & Cooke)

Judd’s Orobophana Snail (Orobophana juddii)

Judd’s Orobophana Snail was described in 1908, it is known only from subfossil remains that had been found in sand dunes on the beaches in the Koloa District in southern Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands.

The shells were semiglobose with a flattened base and a rounded periphery, they reached sizes of about 0,42 cm in height and 0,46 cm in diameter, the original colors are not preserved. [1]

Judd’s Orobophana Snail was amongst the first snail species that disappeared following the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers and especially the Polynesian Rats (Rattus exulans (Peale)) they brought with them.

***

syn. Helicina juddii Pilsbry & Cooke

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Photo from: ‘Henry A. Pilsbry; C. Montague Cooke Jr.: Hawaiian species of Helicina. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(2): 199-210. 1908’

(public domain)

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References:

[1] Marie C. Neal: Hawaiian Helicinidae. Bishop Museum Bulletin 125: 1-102. 1934
[2] Norine W. Yeung; Kenneth A. Hayes: Biodiversity and extinction of Hawaiian land snails: how many are left now and what must we do to conserve them – a reply to. Integrative and Comparative Biology 58(6): 1157-1169. 2018

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edited: 08.05.2019

Hemignathus sp. ‘Hawaii Nukupuu’

Hawaii Nukupuu (Hemignathus sp.)

The island of Hawai’i today is the home of the Akiapolaau (Hemignathus wilsoni (Rothschild)) (see depiction below), the last of the so-called hetero-billed finches, a group of Hawaiian drepenidine finches with extremely strange bills in which the lower beak is short and, depending on the species, curved up- or downwards, and the upper beak significantly longer and down curved.

This species is depicted below.

The island of Hawai’i, however, once also harbored at least two other hetero-billed finch species, namely the so-called Giant Nukupuu (Hemignathus vorpalis Olson & James), known only by subfossil remains, and the ‘actual’ Nukupuu (Hemignathus aff. lucidus), which is known by a single historical specimen, and which most certainly represented a full and endemic species.

More about this enigmatic form follows below.:

***

Hemignathus lucidus subspp. indet.

A historic specimen of this species, of indeterminate race, was collected on the island of Hawaii by the U.S. Exploring Expedition in 1840 or 1841, but the species was never again taken on that island. A fossil almost certainly of this species was also recovered from sand dune deposits on Molokai.
” [2]

The authors treat all Nukupuu forms as a single species, thus this somewhat misleading statement –  the fossil from Moloka’i, of course, is more closely related to the Maui Nukupuu (Hemignathus affinis Rothschild) from Maui.

This sole Hawaii Nukupuu specimen very likely constitutes a sub-adult individual, its plumage appearing to had been in the stage of molting into a yellower garb; the dorsum, the crown and the wings are dull olive with a grayish cast; the underparts are creamy whitish; yellow feathers appear on the lower cheeks and on the midline of the throat and the sides of the upper breast, forming a sort of inverted Y; it also had a faint yellow superciliary line. [1]

This is perhaps one of the most enigmatic of the many Hawaiian drepanidine finches and is shows that these islands have lost an unimaginable precious treasure trove of diversity!

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Akiapolaau (Hemignathus wilsoni)

Depiction from: ‘W. Rothschild: The Avifauna of Laysan and the neighbouring islands with a complete history to date of the birds of the Hawaiian possession. 1893-1900’      

(public domain)

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References:

[1] Storrs Olson & Helen F. James: A specimen of Nuku pu’u (Aves: Drepanidini: Hemignathus lucidus) from the island of Hawai’i. Pacific Science 48(4): 331-338. 1994
[2] Storrs Olson & Helen F. James: Nomenclature of the Hawaiian Akialoas and Nukupuus (Aves: Drepanidini). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 108(3): 373-387. 1995

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edited: 09.10.2020

Amastra seminigra Hyatt & Pilsbry

Coal-black Amastra Snail (Amastra seminigra)

The Coal-black Amastra Snail, described in 1911, was restricted to the vicinity of Wahiawa and Waimano near Honolulu on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.

It was a quite large species whose shells reached heights of up to 2,12 cm.

The species is very similar to the Sorrowful Amastra Snail (Amastra tristis (Férussac)) and differs from that species only by its narrower shape at all stages of growth.

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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911′    

(public domain)

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References:

[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911

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edited: 05.10.2020

Cynolebias elegans Costa

Elegant Bahia Killifish (Cynolebias elegans)

The Elegant Bahia Killifish was described in 2017; it is known only from a single locality, a temporary pool in the Verde Grande River drainage in Bahia, Brazil where in 2005 the five now known specimens were found.

All subsequent searches (in 2009, 2020, and 2017) found the habitat to be severely modificated, especially due to cattle ranching, and all failed to find the species.

The Elegant Bahia Killifish is now sadly extinct.

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Photo from: ‘Wilson J. E. M. Costa: Description of two endangered new seasonal killifish species of the genus Cynolebias from the São Francisco River basin, Brazilian Caatinga (Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae). Zoosystematics and Evolution 93(2): 333-341. 2017

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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References:

[1] Wilson J. E. M. Costa: Description of two endangered new seasonal killifish species of the genus Cynolebias from the São Francisco River basin, Brazilian Caatinga (Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae). Zoosystematics and Evolution 93(2): 333-341. 2017

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edited: 15.02.2024

Orobophana cookei Neal

Cooke’s Orobophana Snail (Orobophana cookei)

Cooke’s Orobophana Snail was described in 1934, it was apparently restricted to a cliff on the west side of the beautiful and often photographed Kalalau Valley on the island of Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands.

The shells of this quite large species reach sizes of about 0,56 cm in height and 0,6 cm in diameter. [1]

***

Since all Kauaian helicinid snails are now thought to be extinct altogether, this species must be considered extinct too. [2]

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References:

[1] Marie C. Neal: Hawaiian Helicinidae. Bishop Museum Bulletin 125: 1-102. 1934
[2] Norine W. Yeung; Kenneth A. Hayes: Biodiversity and extinction of Hawaiian land snails: how many are left now and what must we do to conserve them – a reply to. Integrative and Comparative Biology 58(6): 1157-1169. 2018

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edited: 18.05.2019

Chloridops regiskongi Olson & James

King Kong Finch (Chloridops regiskongi)

The King Kong Finch was described in 1991 based on subfossil remains found on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.

This species had the biggest and heaviest beak of all seed-eating Hawaiian finches.

***

This species very likely constitutes a distinct genus.

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References:

[1] S. L. Olson; H. F. James: Descriptions of thirty-two new species of birds from the Hawaiian Islands: Part II. Passeriformes. Ornithological Monographs 45: 1-91. 1991
[2] Helen F. James: The osteology and phylogeny of the Hawaiian finch radiation (Fringillidae: Drepanidini), including extinct taxa. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 141: 207-255. 2004

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edited: 04.01.2024

Typhlobleus auriculatus de Pinna & Zuanon

Ear-bearing Pencil Catfish (Typhlobleus auriculatus)  

The Ear-bearing Pencil Catfish was described in 2013; it was found near a marginal sand bank in the lower Rio Xingù in central Brazil.

The species is only about 3 cm long; it can be distinguished from all of its congeners by the absence of an anal fin as well as by the presence of a well-defined lateral pit immediately posterior to the head, representing a modified (ear-like) pseudotympanus connected by a superficial groove to a pit entering the skull. [1]

The type locality is now probably destroyed due to the building of the Belo Monte dam, which will be the world’s third-largest hydroelectric dam when it is finished; this will lead to the extinction not only of this strange kind of fish ….

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References:

[1] M. C. C. de Pinna; J. Zuanon: The genus Typhlobelus: Monopoly and taxonomy, with description of a new species with a unique pseudotympanic structure (Teleostei: Trichomycteridae). Copeia 2013(3): 441-453. 2013

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edited: 19.02.2024

Lyropupa rhabdota ssp. baldwiniana Cooke

Lanai Striped Lyropupa Snail (Lyropupa rhabdota ssp. lanaiensis)

This form, described in 1920, was restricted to the island of Maui, Hawaiian Islands.

Specimens from West Maui agree very closely with the type form in shape, color, etc., but are slightly smaller. They differ mainly in that the embryonic whorls are much more finely striate spirally, and in the presence of a minute basal fold and the more axially seated columellar fold. There are usually about two more ribs on the last whorl, which is furnished with from 15 to 17. Length 2.5, diam. 1.5, apert. 1.0 mm.; 51/4 whorls.

From L. r. lanaiensis it is separated by its more convex and swollen whorls, lighter color and much more finely spirally striate embryonic whorls.
” [1]

***

According to a study from the year 2018, all Hawaiian species of this genus are now sadly extinct. [2]

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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second Series: Vol.25, Pupillidae (Gastrocoptinae, Vertigininae) 1918-1920’

(public domain)

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References:   

[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second Series: Vol.25, Pupillidae (Gastrocoptinae, Vertigininae) 1918-1920
[2] Norine W. Yeung; Kenneth A. Hayes: Biodiversity and extinction of Hawaiian land snails: how many are left now and what must we do to conserve them – a reply to. Integrative and Comparative Biology 58(6): 1157-1169. 2018

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edited: 25.02.2024

Pseudolibera solemi Sartori, Gargominy & Fontaine

Solem’s Pseudolibera Snail (Pseudolibera solemi)

Solem’s Pseudolibera Snail was described in 2014 based on subfossil shells, it was endemic to the raised coral island Makatea in French Polynesia.

The shells reach sizes of less than 0,8 cm in diameter, they are depressed to subdepressed, dome-shaped to trigonal, they are white with regularly spaced and bear amber-colored flammulations on the periphery. [1]

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References:

[1] A. F. Sartori; O. Gargominy; B. Fontaine: Radiation and decline of endodontid land snails in Makatea, French Polynesia. Zootaxa 3772(1): 1–68. 2014

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edited: 13.06.2020

Trachycystis rariplicata (Pfeiffer)

Greenpoint Snail (Trachycystis rariplicata)

The Greenpoint Snail, described in 1849, is known exclusively from Green Point, today a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa.

This species is now extinct, and its extinction is sometimes attributed to the introduction of an invasive Mediterranean snail species, the Mediterranean Coastal Snail (Theba pisana (Müller)), which is now very abundant in that region. However, the true reasons for its disappearance are rather found in the massive habitat destruction by swamp drainage, building of sports fields, houses and other extensive transformations.

***

syn. Helix rariplicata Pfeiffer, Pella rariplicata (Pfeiffer)


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edited: 22.08.2022

Zebina acicula Laseron

Needle-like Zebina Snail (Zebina acicula)

The Needle-like Zebina Snail was described in 1956; it is restricted to the sea around Christmas Island, Australia.

The species was last recorded in 1916, when the type material was collected.

*********************

References:

[1] D. J. James; P. T. Green; W. F. Humphreys; J. C. Z. Woinarski: Endemic species of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean. Records of the Western Australian Museum 34: 55-114. 2019

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edited: 16.02.2024

Sinployea sp. ‘Bora Bora’

Bora Bora Sinployea Snail (Sinployea sp.)

This species, which has not been described so far, is known on the basis of a single subadult specimen that was found on the slopes of a mountain ridge on the island of Bora Bora, Society Islands.

This form might well be extinct now.

*********************  

References:  

[1] Justin Gerlach: Land and Freshwater Snails of Tahiti and the other Society Islands. Phelsuma Press, Cambridge 2017

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edited: 02.08.2022

Tarphiophasis wollastoni Ardoin

Wollaston’s Darkling Beetle (Tarphiophasis wollastoni)

Wollaston’s Darkling Beetle was described in 1972, it is, or maybe was, endemic to the island of Saint Helena.

The species was apparently not found during recent field searches and might be extinct, I could, however, not find any further information about this species so far.

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edited: 29.05.2021

Amastra ricei ssp. armillata Cooke

Milolii Amastra Snail (Amastra ricei ssp. armillata)

The Milolii Amastra Snail was described in 1917 based on two (sub)fossil specimens that had been collected from the Miloli’i beach at the north-western coast of Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands, from deposits that might be of late Pleistocene or Early Holocene age.

This form may in fact not be different from the typical species.

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Depiction from: ‘C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917’

(public domain)

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References:

[1] C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917

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edited: 16.05.2022

Turnix olivii Robinson

Buff-breasted Buttonquail (Turnix olivii)  

The Buff-breasted Buttonquail was described in 1900; it is, or maybe was, restricted to the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia.

The species reaches a size of 18 to 23 cm, as in all buttonquail species, the females are larger than the males.

The Buff-breasted Buttonquail was allegedly last seen in 2015; however, this sighting is unconfirmed; subsequent species-targeted surveys between 2018 and 2021 including things like camera trapping, call playback etc. did find all of the other Australian buttonquail species yet not this one.

The species’ population may have been affected by predation by introduced mammals, especially by feral cats, but buttonquails are also known to be highly vulnerable to climate changes due to their high climate change sensitivity and low adaptive capacity; thus it is very likely that this species is already extinct.

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Depiction from: ‘Gregory M. Mathews: The Birds of Australia. London, Witherby & Co. 1910-1927’

(public domain) 

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edited: 19.02.2024

Melomys fraterculus (Thomas)


Manusela Mosaic-tailed Rat (Melomys fraterculus)

The Manusela Mosaic-tailed Rat was described in 1920 from only two specimens collected from Mt. Manusela on the island of Seram, Indonesia at an altitude of 1830 m.

The animals reach a length of 24.5 to 27.5 cm (including the tail).

The original habitat is now highly modified by human activities and the species is probably extinct.

***

syn. Pogonomelomys fraterculus (Thomas), Seram, Uromys fraterculus Thomas

*********************

edited: 28.01.2012

Sulcospira pisum (Brot)

Pea-shaped Sulcospira Snail (Sulcospira pisum)

The Pea-shaped Sulcospira Snail was described in 1868, it was endemic to the island of Java, Indonesia, an exact locality, however, is not known.

The shells reached sizes of about 1,4 cm in height, they are dark chestnut or olive-brown, sometimes with darker vertical flames, their apex is always truncated with less than three remaining whorls and sculptured only with growth lines. [1]

***

syn. Balanocochlis gland (Brot), Balanocochlis pisum (Brot), Melania pisum Brot

*********************

References:

[1] Ristiyanti M. Marwoto; Nur R. Isnaningsih: The freshwater snail genus Sulcospira Troschel, 1857 from Java, with description of a new species from Tasikmalaya, west Java, Indonesia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Pachychilidae). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 60(1): 1-10. 2012

*********************

edited: 02.05.2019

Pampusana nui (Steadman)

Large Polynesian Ground Dove (Pampusana nui)

The Large Polynesian Ground Dove, which is known only from subfossil remains, was a widespread species that occurred on several island groups in central Polynesia including the Cook Islands, the Society Islands and the Marquesas.

The species was sympatric on the Cook-, and Society Islands with the smaller Polynesian Ground Dove (Pampusana erythroptera (Gmelin)) and with the Marquesan Ground Dove (Pampusana rubescens (Vieillot)) on the Marquesas Islands, and very likely with additional, yet extinct species.  

The Large Polynesian Ground Dove, sometimes also named Giant Ground Dove in fact was not truly a giant, yet with a probable size of around 36 cm was still larger than all its Polynesian congeners. [1][2]

***

The species was also thought, based on subfossil remains, to have occurred on the Gambier Islands, these remains, however, were later found out to be assignable to another species, the Henderson Island Archaic Pigeon (Bountyphaps obsoleta Worthy & Wragg). [3][4]

***

syn. Alopecoenas nui (Steadman), Gallicolumba nui Steadman

*********************  

References:  

[1] David W. Steadman: Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. University Of Chicago Press 2006
[2] Jean-Claude Thibault; Alice Cibois: From early Polynesian settlements to present: bird extinctions in the Gambier Islands. Pacific Science 66(3): 1-26. 2011 
[3] Knud A. Jønsson; Martin Irestedt; Rauri C. K. Bowie; Les Christidis; Jon Fieldså: Systematics and biogeography of Indo-Pacific ground-doves. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 59: 538-543. 2011
[4] Stanislas Rigal; Patrick V. Kirch; Trevor H. Worthy: New prehistoric avifaunas from the Gambier Group, French Polynesia. Palaeontologia Electronica 21.3.4A 1-35. 2018

*********************  

edited: 16.03.2020

Canis hodophilax Temminck

Japanese wolf (Canis hodophilax)

The Japanese wolf, the smallest form of wolf, lived on the Japanese islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Some of the native names were Nihon OkamiOkami and Yamainu.

***

The end of the Japanese wolf began with the ever-increasing deforestation for agriculture and livestock breeding but came to a head with the introduction of rabies to Japan in 1732, which killed countless individuals. But there were also targeted extermination programs against the alleged ‘cattle killer’ using poisoned bait. The last known Japanese Wolf was killed in the Nara Prefecture on the island of Honshu in 1905.

***

The Japanese island of Hokkaido was home to a different form of wolf, which is genetically closer to the common Wolf (Canis lupus L.) which can therefore be assigned to it as a subspecies. 

***

syn. Canis japonicus Nehring, Canis lupus ssp. hodophilax Temminck, Canis lupus ssp. japonicus Nehring

********************

Depiction from: ‘S. F. Harmer; A. E. Shipley: The Cambridge Natural History. London, Macmillan and Co., Limited 1895-1909’ 

(public domain)

******************** 

References: 

[1] Alexandra van der Geer; George Lyras; John de Vos; Michael Dermitzakis: Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. John Wiley & Sons 2010 
[2] N. Ishiguro; Y. Inoshima; N. Shigehara; H. Ichikawa; M. Kato: Osteological and genetic analysis of the extinct Ezo wolf (Canis lupus hattai) from Hokkaido Island, Japan. Zoological Science 27(4): 320-324. 2010 

********************

edited: 16.03.2012

Boana cymbalum (Bokermann)

Campo Grande Treefrog (Boana cymbalum)

The Campo Grande Treefrog is known from only six specimens that were found in the early 1960s at two sites in São Paulo, Brazil.

The only known localities of this species are now destroyed and despite dozens of targeted surveys, the species has never been recorded since 1963 and thus is officially considered to be extinct.

***

Hyla cymbalum Bokermann

*********************

edited: 28.02.2024

Sympterichthys unipennis (Cuvier)

Smooth Handfish (Sympterichthys unipennis)

The Smooth Handfish, described in 1817, is known from a single specimen (see photo below) that was collected in 1802 (see photo below); it was restricted to a very small area in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel offshore southern Tasmania, Australia.

The species is only about 4.4 cm long; it is strongly compressed and has rough skin without warty protuberances; it is reddish brown, marbled with darker brown.

The Smooth Handfish very likely fell victim to the intensive scallop- and oyster harvesting that went on in the area between the 19th and mid-20th centuries, which dredged every part of the channel, resulting in the destruction of the species’ habitat.

The species was declared extinct in 2020; yet there is still some hope that a small population may have survived somewhere around southern Tasmania.

***

syn. Chironectes unipennis Cuvier

*********************

Photo: Australian National Fish Collection, CSIRO
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/au/deed.en

*********************

edited: 22.02.2024

Bitoma sp. ‘Rimatara’

Rimataran Bark Beetle (Bitoma sp.)

This up to now undescribed form is known only from subfossil remains, including at least one pronotum and one elytron, that were found on the island of Rimatara in the Austral Islands.

The species had a dark ochre ground color, the elytra were decorated with a pattern of very dark brown square-shaped spots that melted into a complete brown-colored outer margin.

*********************

edited: 02.11.2020

Maoristylus ambagiosus ssp. hinemoa (Powell)

Van Diemen Flax Snail (Maoristylus ambagiosus ssp. priscus)

The Van Diemen Flax snail was described in 1938 based on subfossil specimens.

This form is known from several disjunct populations: “Cape Maria van Diemen (Mainland) about three-quarters of a mile east of worthyi type locality in consolidated dunes (type); many former colonies on south and eastern slopes of Herangi, – 700 feet, down to Te Werahi Stream and Swamp; Twilight Beach between Cape Maria van Diemen and Scott’s Point …; one mile south of Te Paki Stream and one-quarter mile inland in consolidated dunes ….” [1]

Like most other now extinct populations, also this one died out at the end of the Pleistocene/beginning of the Holocene caused by natural reasons.

***

The photo below is thought to show this form.

***

syn. Placostylus ambagiosus ssp. priscus (Powell)

*********************

Photo: Andrew Spurgeon
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/indeynz
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

*********************

References:

[1] A. W. B. Powell: On further colonies of Placostylus land snails from northernmost New Zealand. Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum 4(2): 134-140. 1951

*********************

edited: 06.02.2024

Amastra umbilicata ssp. pluscula Cooke

Kaupulehu Amastra Snail (Amastra umbilicata ssp. pluscula)

The Kaupulehu Amastra Snail, described in 1917, is known from subfossil material that was found at Ka’ūpūlehu at elevations of about 5500 m above sea level in northern Kona on the island of Hawai’i.

This species is very common in its fossil state along the government road between Waimea and North Kona. A number of the specimens have such a fresh appearence [sic] that it does not seem possible that they have been very long dead. Most of the specimens were found in earth under lava blocks. It differs principally from A. ultima by its larger size and less convex whorls. This varietly differs from typical A. umbilicata morticina not only by its larger umbilicus but also by its proportionally wider and larger aperture which is not distinctly angled below, and is much less developed columellar fold.” [1]

*********************

Photo from: ‘C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917’

(public domain)

*********************

References:

[1] C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917

*********************

edited: 04.05.2022

Succinea papillata Pfeiffer

Papillary Amber Snail (Succinea papillata)

The Papillary Amber Snail was described in 1850.

The species was endemic to the island of Ra’iatea, Society Islands, where it was apparently already quite uncommon when it was discovered and described, it is now entirely extinct.

***

syn. Succinea labiata Pease

*********************

References:

[1] Justin Gerlach: Land and Freshwater Snails of Tahiti and the other Society Islands. Phelsuma Press, Cambridge 2017

*********************

edited: 26.11.2018

Monarcha sp. ‘Ni’ihau’

Niihau Elepaio (Monarcha sp.)

The island of Ni’ihau, which is located very close to Kaua’i in the Hawaiian Islands, was once covered with typical Hawaiian lowland forests, which now are gone completely.

Today, the island harbors a few sea bird breeding colonies, but once it almost for certain also had several land bird species, some of which might very well have been endemic to the island; among these might have been a distinct form of Elepaio, which otherwise is known to inhabit the islands of Hawai’i, O’ahu and Kaua’i with distinct, island-specific species on each island.

*********************

edited: 07.05.2022

Amastra johnsoni Hyatt & Pilsbry

Johnson’s Amastra Snail (Amastra johnsoni)

Johnson’s Amastra Snail was described in 1911; it was found in Wailuku in the northeastern part of western Maui, Hawaiian Islands.

The shells of this species reach heights of about 1,1 cm; they are nearly imperforate, oblong-conic, rather thin and somewhat glossy, the outlines of the spire are straight above, a little convex below and the whorls nearly flat, they are brown with the last whorl being partially covered with a thin, darker cuticle that has some darker and lighter streaks but no oblique or angular markings. [1]

*********************

Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a. o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911’  

(public domain)

*********************

References:

[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a. o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911

*********************

edited: 16.05.2022

Patellapis binghami (Kirby)

Bingham’s Sweat Bee (Patellapis binghami)

This species was described in 1900; it was endemic to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.

The bee reached a length of about 5.5 cm and a wingspan of about 1.1 cm; the head and the thorax are glossy black, sometimes with a very faint greenish tint, very finely punctured; the abdomen is shining black; the wings are iridescent hyaline with an yellowish-brown neuration. [1]

Bingham’s Sweat Bee was last recorded in 1968; it was never found despite considerable dedicated efforts. [2]

***

syn. Halictus binghami Kirby

*********************

Depiction from: ‘Charles William Andrews: A monograph of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean). London: printed by order of the Trustees 1900’

(public domain)

*********************

References:

[1] Charles William Andrews: A monograph of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean). London: printed by order of the Trustees 1900
[2] D. J. James; P. T. Green; W. F. Humphreys; J. C. Z. Woinarski: Endemic species of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean. Records of the Western Australian Museum 34: 55-114. 2019

*********************

edited: 13.02.2024

Mimus gundlachii ssp. ‘Barbuda’

Barbuda Mockingbird (Mimus gundlachii ssp.)

Today, the Bahama Mockingbird (Mimus gundlachii Cabanis) is restricted to the cays off northern Cuba, the Bahamas, Jamaica, as well as Turks and Caicos, where it inhabits semiarid scrubland. However, the species is known from at least two fossil or subfossil bones found on the island of Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda, in the Lesser Antilles. [1]

Given the fact that the birds on Jamaica are treated as a distinct subspecies, I personally assume that the birds from the Lesser Antilles most probably also represented a distinct subspecies, which disappeared probably around the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene border but might in fact have survived for somewhat longer. 

*********************

Bahama Mockingbird (Mimus gundlachii); nominate race

Photo: Laura Gooch
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0

*********************

References:

[1] Gregory K. Pregill; David W. Steadman; David R. Watters: Late Quaternary vertebrate faunas of the Lesser Antilles: historical components of Caribbean biogeography. Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History 30: 1-51. 1994

*********************

edited: 17.02.2020

Choreutis ornaticornis (Walsingham)

(Choreutis ornaticornis)

This species was described in 1900 based on ten specimens; it is endemic to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.

The head is brownish ochreous, mixed with pale cinerous; the thorax is brownish ochreous, becoming dark brownish grey posteriorly; the abdomen is bronzy brownish; the forewings are olivaceous brownish, with two narrow transverse bands of pale cinereous speckling between the base and the middle; the hind wings are dark bronzy brownish, with some faint pale curved streaks running through them before the margin, the underside with two speckled pale cinereous bands.

The species was never found since and is most likely extinct.

***

syn. Simaethis ornaticornis Walsingham

*********************

References:

[1] Charles William Andrews: A monograph of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean). London: printed by order of the Trustees 1900
[2] D. J. James; P. T. Green; W. F. Humphreys; J. C. Z. Woinarski: Endemic species of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean. Records of the Western Australian Museum 34: 55-114. 2019

*********************

edited: 05.01.2024

Tsoukatosia evauemgei Reischütz, Reischütz & Reischütz

EVMG Door Snail (Tsoukatosia evauemgei)  

The EVMG Door Snail (so named after the “Erste Voralberger Malakologische Gesellschaft”) was described in 2012 on the basis of a single subfossil shell that had been found in 2000 in a rubble heap on the Peloponnese in Greece.

The species can be distinguished from its congeners in that the lower lamella is only visible as a straight edge when looking at the mouth at a certain angle.

The shell reaches a height of about 0.98 cm; it is dextral, club-shaped, thin and yellowish white colored.

The EVMG Door Snail may be a cave-dwelling species, and the sole found specimen might be an example that was washed out into the open by the rain. [1]

*********************

References:

[1] Alexander Reischütz; Nicole Reischütz; Peter L. Reischütz: Helleniká pantoía, 33. Tsoukatosia evauemgei nov. spec. (Clausiliidae: Pulmonata). Nachrichtenblatt der Ersten Voralberger Malakologischen Gesellschaft 19: 19-20. 2012

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edited: 12.02.2024

Endodonta sp. ‘Barbers Point’

Kalaeloa Endodonta Snail (Endodonta sp.)

The Kalaeloa Endodonta Snail is an undescribed species that is known exclusively from subfossil specimens that had been recovered from coastal deposits at Kalaeloa (Barber’s Point) on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands. [1]

*********************

References:

[1] Patrick V. Kirch; Carl C. Christensen: Nonemarine molluscs and paleoecology at Barber’s Point, O’ahu. Prepared for Archaeological Research Center Hawaii, Inc.. Department of Anthropology; Bernice P. Bishop Museum 1-40. 1980

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edited: 22.04.2019

Turricaspia obventicia (Anistratenko in Anistratenko & Prisyazhniuk)

Kiliya Freshwater Snail (Turricaspia obventicia)

This species was descried in 1992; it is known only from the type that was collected from Holocene deposits near the city of Kiliya in the Odessa Region of the Ukraine.

The species most likely died out for natural reasons. [1]

***

syn. Caspia obventicia Anistratenko in Anistratenko & Prisyazhniuk

*********************

References:

[1] Frank P. Wesselingh; Thomas A. Neubauer; Vitaliy V. Anistratenko; Maxim V. Vinarski; Tamara Yanina; Jan Johan ter Poorten; Pavel Kijashko; Christian Albrecht; Olga Yu. Anistratenko; Anouk D’Hont; Pavel Frolov; Alberto Martínez Gándara; Arjan Gittenberger; Aleksandre Gogaladze; Mikhail Karpinsky; Matteo Lattuada; Luis Popa; Arthur F. Sands; Sabrina van de Velde; Justine Vandendorpe; Thomas Wilke: Mollusc species from the Pontocaspian region – an expert opinion list. ZooKeys 827: 31-124. 2019

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edited: 18.11.2021

Maoristylus ambagiosus ssp. hinemoa (Powell)

Hinemoa Flax Snail (Maoristylus ambagiosus ssp. hinemoa)

The Hinemoa Flax snail was described in 1947 based on subfossil specimens.

This form was apparently restricted to Cape Maria van Diemen, the westernmost point of New Zealand’s North Island; however, the taxon’s author says: “Restricted to the Island.” [1], thus it appears that this form was probably restricted to the northernmost part of the cape, which is an island that is now joined to the rest of the area by drifting sand.

Again, this is very likely a case of natural extinction due to changes in climate at the end of the Pleistocene.

***

syn. Placostylus ambagiosus ssp. hinemoa Powell

*********************

References:

[1] A. W. B. Powell: On further colonies of Placostylus land snails from northernmost New Zealand. Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum 4(2): 134-140. 1951

*********************

edited: 06.02.2024

Trechus torretassoi Jeannel

Torretasso’s Ground Beetle (Trechus torretassoi)

Torretasso’s Ground Beetle was described in 1937, the species was endemic to the island of São Miguel in the Azores, where it obviously inhabited the margins of two large lakes.

The species reached a size of about 0,3 cm in length and was dark colored. [1]

Torretasso’s Ground Beetle was last seen in 1985, it was never found again since, despite several collecting efforts. [2]

*********************

References:

[1] P. A. V. Borges; A. R. M. Serrano; I. R. Amorim: New species of cave-dwelling beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae) from the Azores. Journal of Natural History 38: 1303-1313. 2004
[2] Paulo A. V. Borges; Pedro Oromí; Artur R. M. Serrano; Isabel R. Amorim; Fernando Pereira: Biodiversity patterns of cavernicolous ground-beetles and their conservation status in the Azores, with the description of a new species: Trechus isabelae n. sp. (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae). Zootaxa 1478: 21-31. 2007

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edited: 07.09.2020

Tylos nudulus Budde-Lund

Naked Beach Pillbug (Tylos nudulus)

The Naked Beach Pillbug was described in 1906; it is known only from the beaches of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.

The species has never been found since its description and appears to be extinct now.

*********************

References:

[1] D. J. James; P. T. Green; W. F. Humphreys; J. C. Z. Woinarski: Endemic species of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean. Records of the Western Australian Museum 34: 55-114. 2019

*********************

edited: 16.02.2024

Argynnis nokomis ssp. wenona Dos Passos & Grey

Wenona Fritillary (Argynnis nokomis ssp. wenona)

The Wenona Fritillary was described in 1945 as a subspecies of the Nokomis Fritillary (Argynnis nokomis (W. H. Edwards)); it was restricted to Nuevo Leon, northeastern Mexico

The form was last recorded sometimes during the 1970s and is now considered most likely extinct. [1]

***

The photo below shows another subspecies of that species, the Bluish Nokomis Fritillary (Argynnis nokomis ssp. coerulescens W. Holland), which occurs in parts of Mexico as well as in the southern USA.

***

syn. Speyeria nokomis ssp. wenona Dos Passos & Grey

*********************

Bluish Nokomis Fritillary (Argynnis nokomis ssp. coerulescens)

Photo: Javier Cruz Nieto
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/lorospericos
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

*********************

References:

[1] Gerald Selby: Great Basin Silverspot Butterfly (Speyeria nokomis nokomis [W. H. Edwards]): a technical conservation assessment. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region 2007

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edited: 13.09.2019

Chloridops sp. ‘Maui’

Maui Grosbeak (Chloridops sp.)

This form is known from a complete subfossil mandible that was found in the Pu’u Naio Cave on the island of Maui, Hawaiian Islands and which differs from the Wahi Grosbeak (Chloridops wahi James & Olson) in being about 18% smaller.

More material is needed before it is clear whether this form represents some kind of extreme intraspecific variation in the Wahi Grosbeak or a distinct species. [1]

*********************

References:

[1] S. L. Olson; H. F. James: Descriptions of thirty-two new species of birds from the Hawaiian Islands: Part II. Passeriformes. Ornithological Monographs 45: 1-91. 1991

*********************

edited: 08.10.2020

Philonesia arenofunus H. B. Baker

Koloa Philonesia Snail (Philonesia arenofunus)

Distribution:

Hawai’i Islands: Kaua’i

local names: –

***

This species is one of several that are known from subfossil or even fossil specimens alone; in this case they were recovered from sand dunes near Aweoweonui near the south-eastern coast of Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands.

*********************  

References:  

[1] H. Burrington Baker: Zonitid snails from Pacific islands – part 2: Hawaiian genera of Microcystinae. Bishop Museum Bulletin 165: 105-223. 1940

*********************  

edited: 15.07.2022

Sinployea titikaveka Brook

Titikaveka Sinployea Snail (Sinployea titikaveka)

The Titikaveka Sinployea Snail was described in 2010; it is known only from subfossil shells that were recovered from deposits near the southern coast of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.

The shells reach sizes of only up to 0,16 cm in diameter.

*********************

References:  

[1] Fred J. Brook: Coastal landsnail fauna of Rarotonga, Cook Islands: systematics, diversity, biogeography, faunal history, and environmental influences. Tuhinga 21: 161-252. 2010

*********************

edited: 02.08.2022

Lobogestoria sp. ‘Samoa’

Samoan Lobogestoria Beetle (Lobogestoria sp.)

This unnamed species is known so far only from subfossil remains recovered by Nick Porch from samplings from the Samoan Islands.

***

I do not know if this species is indeed extinct, but given the rather bad condition of the lowland areas of the larger Samoan Islands, it quite possibly is.

*********************

edited: 22.04.2019

Homoeodera edithia Wollaston

Edith’s Fungus Beetle (Homoeodera edithia)

Edith’s Fungus Beetle was described in 1877, the author named it in honour of his wife.: 

The only example of this most remarkable Homoeodera which I have yet seen was captured by Mrs. Wollaston (after whom I have named the species) in the rotten trunk of a dead Buddleia madagascariensis, Vahl, immediately below Actaeon and Diana’s-Peak ridge, close to a spot called Newfoundland. It is evidently one of the rarest of the St.-Helena Coleoptera; for, in spite of constant researches at the very same tree, we were quite unable to procure a second specimen.” [1]

***

The species was commonly found during field surveys in 1965/66 but could not be traced in 2005/06, it may already be extinct. [2]

*********************

References:

[1] T. Vernon Wollaston: Coleoptera Sanctae-Helenae. London: John Van Voorst, Paternoster Row 1877 
[2] Howard Mendel; Philip Ashmole; Myrtle Ashmole: Invertebrates of the Central Peaks and Peak Dale, St. Helena. Report for the St Helena National Trust, Jamestown 2008

*********************

edited: 02.12.2018

Australdonta tubuaiana Solem

Tubuai Australdonta Snail (Australdonta tubuaiana)

The Tubuai Australdonta Snail was described in 1976; it is known only from subfossil specimens that were found in the western parts of Tubuai, Austral Islands.

The shells reach sizes of 0.42 to 0.5 cm; they are light yellowish white with broad reddish flammulations that fade out on the shell’s base.

*********************

References:

[1] Alan Solem: Endodontoid land snails from Pacific Islands (Mollusca: Pulmonata: Sigmurethra). Part I, Family Endodontidae. Field Museum of Natural History Chicago, Illinois 1976
[2] Olivier Gargominy; Benoît Fontaine: A Global Overview of the Terrestrial and Freshwater Molluscs. In: Jean-Yves Meyer; Elin. M. Claridge: Biodiversity of the Austral Islands, French Polynesia. Muséum national d´Histoire naturelle, Paris. 55-91. 2014

*********************

edited: 18.02.2024

Dryolimnas sp. ‘Cosmoledo’

Cosmoledo is an atoll in the Aldabra group of the outer islands of the Seychelles archipelago; it has a very small area of dry land yet is home to at least four species of land birds, the Souimanga Sunbird (Cinnyris sovimanga ssp. buchenorum Williams), the Malagasy Turtle-Dove (Nesoenas picturatus ssp. coppingeri (Sharpe)), the Malagasy White-eye (Zosterops maderaspatanus ssp. menaiensis (Benson)) and a rail that is only known from a single contemporary report.:

A rail (Dryolimnas abbotti?) still exists on South Island, and a Cinnyris perhaps forms a local race, but land birds were scarce on Cosmoledo, which as a whole seemed too broken into small islands to be suitable for a land fauna.” [1]

The three volant bird species are surviving until today but the rail is now gone.

*********************

References:

[1] J. C. F. Fryer: The structure and formation of Aldabra and neighbouring islands – with notes on their flora and fauna. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 2nd series. Zoology 14(3): 397-442. 1911

*********************

edited: 03.01.2023

Melanoplus ligneolus Scudder

Firewood Spur-throated Grasshopper (Melanoplus ligneolus)

The Firewood Spur-throated Grasshopper was described in 1899 based on specimens that had been collected near the cities of Benicia and Berkely in Solano – and Alameda County of California / USA respectively.

The males reached sizes of about 1,7 cm long, the females were slightly larger, both sexes were yellowish light-brown colored.

The species is considered possibly extinct without any reasons for this assumption being mentioned.

********************

Depiction from: ‘Samuel H. Scudder: Supplement to a revision of the Melanopli. Proceedings of the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences 7: 157-205. 1899’

(public domain)

********************

References:

[1] Samuel H. Scudder: Supplement to a revision of the Melanopli. Proceedings of the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences 7: 157-205. 1899′

********************

edited: 31.08.2019

Coilostele acus (Pfeiffer)

(Coilostele acus)

This species was described in 1854, the type material, however, was apparently lost during World War II, thus the taxonomic validity of this taxon is unclear.:

Taxonomic issues arose concerning two species when they were submitted to experts, although they had never been reported as nonvalid species in the scientific literature; because their taxonomic status is unclear (the biological species designated by their names are unknown), they were classified as impossible to assess. However, due to this taxonomic uncertainty, no data are available apart from their original 19th-century descriptions, and the model evaluates them as extinct. These taxa are Coilostele acus and Perrottetia piriformis.” [1]

***

It is quite unlikely that this taxon is indeed extinct, it is most likely synonymous with some of the other species described in that genus. [2]

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References:

[1] Claire Régnier; Guillaume Achaz; Amaury Lambert; Robert H. Cowie; Philippe Bouchet; Benoît Fontaine: Mass extinction in poorly known taxa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 1-6. 2015
[2] A. Martínez-Ortí; M. Prieto; F. Uribe: Addendum to the type catalogue of the malacological collection in the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona. Arxius de Miscel.lània Zoològica 16.2018

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edited: 09.11.2021

Proterhinus sp. ‘Mo’orea’

Moorean Proterhinus Weevil (Proterhinus sp.)

This species, which has not yet been described, is known from subfossil remains (at least one pronotum) that were collected on the island of Mo’orea, Society Islands.

***

The genus Proterhinus occurs on some of the islands in the tropical Pacific, with a strinking radiation of more than 130 species inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands alone.

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References:

[1] Jennifer G. Kahn, Cordelia Nickelsen, Janelle Stevenson, Nick Porch, Emilie Dotte-Sarout, Carl C. Christensen, Lauren May, J. Stephen Athens, Patrick V. Kirch: Mid- to late Holocene landscape change and anthropogenic transformations on Mo’orea, Society Islands: A multi-proxy approach. The Holocene 25(2): 1-15. 2014

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edited: 31.10.2020

Monarcha nigra ssp. ‘Mo’orea’

Moorea Monarch (Monarcha nigra ssp.)

The Tahiti Monarch (Monarcha nigra (Sparrman)) is the sole surviving of formerly several monarch species that inhabited the Society Islands; as its name implies, it is endemic to Tahiti, the largest of the islands in the archipelago.

The smaller sister of Tahiti, Mo’orea, very likely once also harbored a monarch population, and this might well have been an endemic one.

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edited: 07.05.2022

Parnassius apollo ssp. ancile Fruhstorfer

Fichtel Mountain (Parnassius apollo ssp. ancile)

This form was described in 1909, apparently already after its extinction; it was restricted to a small region around the city of Bad Berneck in the Franconian part of the Fichtel Mountains.

The reasons for its disappearance are very well known.:

P. apollo ancile Fruhst, von Berneck im Fichtelgebirge hat leider dasselbe tragische Schicksal wie P. apollo posthumus erreicht. An der einzigen Stelle des Fichtelgebirges, wo ancile vorkam, wurde er nach freundl. brieflichen Mitteilungen des Herrn Lehrers Poehlmann in Röhrenhof, Oberfranken, durch „brutales Wegfangen seitens der Sommerfrischler, noch mehr aber durch die Dummheit einer Gärtnersfrau, völlig ausgerottet. Letztere ließ die ancile durch Kinder einfangen, um die apollo den abreisenden Kurgästen auf das übliche Blumenbuket (noch dazu häufig lebend!) zu stecken. 1909 wurde das letzte Stück beobachtet. Ein bezirksamtliches Fangverbot kam zu spät, es gab nichts mehr zu schützen.” [1]

translation:

P. apollo ancile Fruhst, from Berneck in the Fichtel mountains unfortunately met the same tragic fate as P. apollo posthumus. In the only place in the Fichtel Mountains where ancile occurred, it was found, according to a friendly written message by the teacher Poehlmann in Hülsenhof, Upper Franconia, completely eradicated by “brutal capture by the summer visitors, but even more so by the stupidity of a gardener’s wife. The latter had the ancile captured by children in order to pin the apollo on the usual bouquet of flowers (and often alive!) for the departing spa guests. The last specimen was observed in 1909. A district official catching ban came too late; there was nothing left to protect.”

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unspecified subspecies

Depiction from: ‘Jacob Hübner: Das kleine Schmetterlingsbuch: Die Tagfalter, Insel-Bücherei Nr. 213. 1934’

(public domain)

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References:

[1] H. Fruhstorfer: Neue und seltene Parnassius-Rassen. Entomologischer Anzeiger 3(11): 131-133. 1923

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edited: 10.01.2024

Anoma adamsi Pilsbry

Adams’ Anoma Snail (Anoma adamsi)

Adams’ Anoma Snail was described in 1903, the species is, or maybe was, restricted to a small area near Ulster Spring, a settlement in the Trelawny Parish in the northwest of Jamaica.

Surface is glossy, very finely striate throughout; the last third of the last whorl becoming more coarsely rib-striate. Bluish-milky, touched with light brown at the summit; the base, back of the lip and adjecent surface, brownish-fleshy. The keel, a subsutural line on the last whorl, and a wide arcuate stripe (behind the fleshy lip-stripe) are opaque-white; and behind the white stripe there is a second fleshy-brown oblique area, fading on its right side into the blue-white ground-color. These colors show within the mouth. The well-expanded lip is flesh-pink and but slightly thickened, somewhat sinuous, and a little retracted at both ends. Columnella distinctly truncate in oblique view. Length 19.3, diam. 5, length of aperture 4,6 mm., whorls 10.” [1]

The species was not found during recent surveys and might be extinct.

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References:

[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 16: Urocoptidae, Achatinidae. 1904
[2] Gary Rosenberg; Igor Muratov: Status Report on the Terrestrial Mollusca of Jamaica. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 155: 117-161. 2006

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edited: 22.09.2020

Hemignathus lanaiensis Rothschild

Maui-nui Akialoa (Hemignathus lanaiensis)

The Maui-nui Akialoa aka. Lanai Akialoa was historically only known from the island of Lana’i, Hawaiian Islands, but did formerly also occur on the neighboring islands of Maui and Moloka’i as its known based on subfossils (found at least on Maui). [2]

The species is known by exactly three specimens, two of which appear to be sub-adult males and the third one a female. [3]

***

There is an interesting account made in 1903 (?) by Robert Cyril Layton Perkins, a British entomologist, naturalist and ornithologist about this species in life.:

Almost equally unfortunate was my experience of H. lanaiensis, of which I saw but a single example. This was evidently an adult male, its plumage appearing quite brightly yellow, and unlike any of the figures in Mr Rothschild’s work. There is no doubt hat his figure of the adult bird, if really taken from an adult, represents the bird in its non-breeding stage, for in January, when I saw the one above mentioned, all the adult birds on Lanai were in the fullest and most perfect plumage. It was extremely tame, at times not five yards distant, hunting for insects along the trunk and large limbs of a partly fallen Ohia, which overhung the edge of a precipitous cliff. As, if killed, it would necessarily have fallen in the brush far below, or have lodged in the shrubbery on the side of the cliff, being without a dog I forbore to shoot, and when after some minutes it flew off, it was seen no more. It is probable that this was realy a survivor of the brood obtained by Mr Rothschild’s collectors, since Wolstenholme, who discovered the bird, informed me that all of their specimens were obtained in the same spot and practically at the same time. Certainly the bird seen by me was quite alone, and this at a time when mature birds were all paired, and it may even be feared that it was the sole living representative of its species.” [1]

The Maui-nui Akialoa was extinct shortly after.

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Depiction from: ‘W. Rothschild: The Avifauna of Laysan and the neighbouring islands with a complete history to date of the birds of the Hawaiian possession. 1893-1900’

(public domain)

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References:

[1] R. C. L. Perkins: Vertebrata. in: Fauna Hawaiiensis 1(4): 365-466. 1899-1913
[2] S. L. Olson; H. F. James: Descriptions of thirty-two new species of birds from the Hawaiian Islands: Part II. Passeriformes. Ornithological Monographs 45: 1-91. 1991
[3] H. D. Pratt: The Hawaiian Honeycreepers: Drepanidinae. Oxford Univ. Pr. 2005

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edited: 09.10.2020

Philodoria pipturicola Swezey

Mamaki-mining Philodoria Moth (Philodoria pipturicola)

The Mamaki-mining Philodoria Moth was described in 1915; it is known only from the region around Punalu’u near the northeast shore of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.

The species has a wingspan of about 0,6 to 0,7 cm; the head is grayish fuscous, the thorax is slate gray fuscous colored, the abdomen is dark fuscous; the forewings are fuscous suffused with orange patches and some white bands, the hindwings are dark fuscous.

This is one of the species that was reared from mines, thus its host plant is established as the endemic māmaki (Pipturus sp.); the mine is a serpentine at the beginning and later becomes a blotch, the larva emerges from the mine to spin a light brown cocoon on some matching surface.

***

The species was also recorded from Maui, these records however, were misidentifications with another species, the Haelaau Philodoria Moth (Philodoria haelaauensis Kobayashi, Johns & Kawahara). [2]

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[1] Elwood C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii 9; Microlepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1978
[2] Shigeki Kobayashi; Chris A. Johns; Akito Y. Kawahara: Revision of the Hawaiian endemic leaf-mining moth genus Philodoria Walsingham (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae): its conservation status, host plants and descriptions of thirteen new species. Zootaxa 4944(1): 1-715. 2021

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edited: 18.03.2021

Cynisca gansi Dunger

Okoloma Worm Lizard (Cynisca gansi)

The Okoloma Worm Lizard was described in 1968; it is only known from a single locality near the city of Okoloma in Nigeria.

The species inhabited the topsoil as well as the leaf litter in the native forests, which are now mostly converted into agricultural areas or are urbanized; the species might well be extinct.

***

The photo below shows a more widespread congenerix taxon, the Coast Worm Lizard (Cynisca leucura (Duméril & Bibron)), photographed in Nigeria.

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Coast Worm Lizard (Cynisca leucura)

Photo: Babajide Agboola
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/agboola
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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edited: 18.02.2024

Melanopsis germaini Pallary

Germain’s Melanopsis Spring Snail (Melanopsis germaini)

Germain’s Melanopsis Spring Snail was described in 1939; the species is known only from its type localities: the small rivers Nahr as Sinnah and Nahr az Zayrūd between the cities of Baniyas and Jableh on the Syrian coast to the Mediterranean Sea. [1]

Only the lower parts of these rivers still contain water, which is heavily polluted, thus the snail’s habitat appears to be lost now.

Germain’s Melanopsis Spring Snail was last recorded in 1955, it is now probably extinct.

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References:

[1] Joseph Heller; Peter Mordan; Frida Ben-Ami; Naomi Sivan: Conchometrics, systematics and distribution of Melanopsis (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in the Levant. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 144: 229-260. 2005

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edited: 17.11.2021

Anas marecula Olson & Jouventin

Amsterdam Island Duck (Anas marecula)

The Amsterdam Island Duck, aka. Amsterdam Wigeon was described in 1996 based on subfossil bones that were found on the Île Amsterdam in the subantarctic part of the Indian Ocean.

This duck species was rather small and apparently completely flightless.

There is also a contemporaneous account that mentions this duck species and that is often falsely assigned to a population of ducks on another island, the Île Saint-Paul, which lies about 80 km away from Île Amsterdam. :

Anas, A small brown Duck, not much larger than a thrush, and apparently not described by naturalists.” [1]

If this account is read carefully, however, it is very clear that it is speaking about the ducks found on Amsterdam Island.

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References:

[1] John Barrow: A voyage to Cochinchina, in the years 1792 and 1793. To which is annexed an account of a journey made in the years 1801 and 1802, to the residence of the chief of the Booshuana nation. London: printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies 1806
[2] Storrs L. Olson; Pierre Jouventin: A new species of small flightless duck from Amsterdam Island, southern Indian Ocean (Anatidae: Anas). The Condor 98(1): 1-9. 1996

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edited: 10.11.2021

Trechus satanicus Barr

Satanic Ground Beetle (Trechus satanicus)

The Satanic Ground Beetle was described in 1962, it was apparently restricted to a place named Graveyard Fields in Haywood County, North Carolina, USA.

The beetle reached a size of about 0,36 cm in length.

The species is considered likely extinct.

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References:

[1] Thomas C. Barr Jr.: Revision of Appalachian Trechus (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Brimleyana 2: 29-75. 1979

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edited: 07.09.2020