The Blackish Sap Beetle was described in 1908; it was found on the Haleakala region on the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands, but is also known to have occurred on the islands of Hawai’i and Moloka’i too.
The species reached a length of about 0,45 to 0,56 cm; it was dark, nearly black in color with some brick red areas on the elytra that were limited to the elytra’s bases, the antennae and legs were red to dark brown in color. [1]
***
Like all members of its group, this species lived under the bark of decaying koa trees (Acacia koa A. Gray), a habitat that now has been overtaken by introduced terrestrial isopods, leading to the extinction of this, and many other endemic invertebrate species. [1]
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References:
[1] Curtis Ewing: Revision of the endemic Hawaiian sap beetle genus Apetasimus Sharp 1908 (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae). Zootaxa 1385: 1-30. 2006
The Glowing Red Amastra Snail was found at a place named Kahuku, probably in the northeastern part of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands, where it was found on the ground in the forest. [1]
… from the original description.:
“It is allied to Am. elliptica Gk., but differs in being more elongate in form, thicker iin structure, and for the most part destitute of epidermis. It is always dextral.“
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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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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911′
Goff’s Southeastern Pocket Gopher, described in 1944, was a subspecies of the Southeastern Pocket Gopher (Geomys pinetis Rafinesque) that was endemic to Brevard County in Florida, USA.
This form inhabited temperate deserts and sandy coastlines, it lost its habitat due to human population growth and development; it was last recorded in 1955 and is now considered extinct.
The Roan Mountain Ground Beetle was described in 1962, it was originally only known from its type locality, Roan High Bluff, the highest point on Roan Mountain in Tennessee, USA.
The species apparently is thought to occur in North Carolina as well, but I have no further information about that. [1]
The Roan Mountain Ground Beetle is considered possibly extinct.
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References:
[1] Thomas C. Barr Jr.: Revision of Appalachian Trechus (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Brimleyana 2: 29-75. 1979
The La Brea Stork was described in 1910, originally based on fossil bones that were recovered from the rich La Brea Tar Pits in California, USA; however, the species was for more widespread and is now known to also have occurred in other parts of what today is the USA.
The species already appears in Late Pliocene deposits and disappeared at the end of the Pleistocene, but the population that inhabited the island of Cuba apparently survived well into the Holocene era and may even have been eradicated by the first human settlers.
The shells reach sizes of about 1,6 cm in height; they are glossy white or ivory yellow with a white sutural line, or either of these tints with a burnt sienna band immediately above a wider and darker band. [1]
***
The species was last found in 1980 in the forest along the Aiea Ridge Trail in the Ko’olau Mountains; it is now most likely extinct. [1]
*********************
References:
[1] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993
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Depiction from: ‘W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22, Achatinellidae 1912-1914’
The Boulder Snail was described in 1842; it inhabited the Clinch- and the Powell rivers which are a part of a river system that spans over parts of Georgia, Iowa and Tennessee, USA.
The species is now extinct, the last remaining population of this species disappeared when the Tellico River was dammed in 1979 to create Lake Tellico.
***
The Boulder Snail is sometimes considered rediscovered, however, these accounts must be assigned to a closely related species, Anthony’s Boulder Snail (Athearnia anthonyi (Redfield)).
Forbe’s Amastra Snail was described in 1917; it is known only from (sub)fossil remains found in Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene deposits near the Makua beach at the foot of the Wai’anae Mountains on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
“The material on which this species is based consists of two whole adult specimens and the lower portion of two additional specimens. all the specimens were taken by Mr. Forbes in a single pocket in sand deposits along the railroad track north of Makua. On a later visit by Mr. Forbes and the author, no additional specimens were found though all the exposed surfaces of the sand pockets along the track were carefully gone over. These pockets consist of beach sand covered by talus.” [1]
The shells of this species reach sizes of about 1,3 to 1,4 cm in height.
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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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Photo from: ‘C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917’
This feather mite was described in 2005; it is known from an immature skin of a Carolina Parakeet (
Conuropsis carolinensis (L.)) without further data that had been collected sometimes before 1869 and was subsequently found on other Carolina Parakeet skins as well.
The species was adapted to its single host, the Carolina Parakeet, and died out together with its host. [1]
*********************
References:
[1] Serge V. Mironov; Jacek Dabert; Rainer Ehrnsberger: Six new feather mite species (Acari: Astigmata) from the carolina parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae), an extinct parrot of North America. Journal of Natural History 39: 2257-2278. 2005
The Puerto Rican Crow, described in 1920, is known only from subfossil remains that were found on Puerto Rico, where it lived sympatrically with the White-necked Crow (Corvus leucognaphalus Daudin) (see photo below), as well as on St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands.
The reasons for its extinction are not known and it appears to have disappeared already before the islands were settled by humans.
[1] Alexander Wetmore: Ancient records of birds from the island of St. Croix with observations on extinct and living birds of Puerto Rico”. The Journal of Agricultural of the University of Puerto Rico 21(1): 5-16. 1937
The Mo’omomi beach at the northwestern coast of Moloka’i, Hawaiian Islands, is one of the last remaining dune sides found on these islands; thousands of shells poke out of the sandstone cliffs near the beach, some bleached completely, some still bearing hints of their former coloration; these are the shells of land snails that formerly inhabited this now quite desert-like place.
In the Pleistocene, the climate of the Hawaiian Islands was much wetter than it is today and the area that is now covered by sand dunes was forested back then. When the climate became dryer at the beginning of the Holocene about 10000 BP., these forests disappeared, leading to the extinction of the local snail populations.
In fact, the shells can be dated to ages from 42000 to about 3000 years, which means that this form died out during the Holocene, and, that this is a case of a natural extinction.
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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 23: Appendix to Amastridae. Tornatellinidae. Index, vols. XXI-XXIII. 1915-1916
Remy’s Laminella Snail was described in 1855; it was endemic to the island of Lana’i in the Hawaiian Islands.
The shells reach sizes of about 1,4 cm in height; they are “… very pale buff, with some pink suffusion on the last whorl and the embryonic whorls. The first half-whorl is smooth, convex and uniform pinkish-brown; next whorl streaked, flattened ad unevenly, rather weakly costate; on part of the third whorl the costation or corrugation is stronger, more or less irregular, after that weakening. The last whorl is very finely striatulate. There are reddish streaks between the ribs on the embryonic whorls; near the end of the third whorl these give place to a few widely-spaced oblique blackish stripes; after which the angular, zigzag or netted pattern begins. This pattern is essentially like that of L. tetrao. The interior of the aperture and the columella are pink; columellar lamella simple, steeply ascending.” [1]
***
The species is now considered extinct.
*********************
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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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911’
The Santa Cruz Pupfish, also known as Monkey Spring Pupfish, was endemic to the Santa Cruz River system in Santa Cruz County in Arizona, USA, where it apparently was restricted to the margins of an artifical pond fed by an irrigation canal from Monkey Spring.
The species reached a size of about 3,8 cm.
The Santa Cruz Pupfish disappeared around 1970, due to the introduction of Largemouth Basses (Micropterus salmoides (Lacépède)) for ‘sport’ fishing. The species was kept in captivity for some times but breeding efforts were unsuccessful so that the Santa Cruz Pupfish is now extinct.
This somewhat enigmatic species was described in 2006, apparently based on fossil shells that were collected from deposits that date back well into the Late Pleistocene era while some might well be younger in age.
The species has not yet been discovered alive and it might well be extinct, the question remains if this is a recent or an prehistoric extinction.
*********************
References:
[1] Emilio Fabián Garcia: Conus sauros, a new Conus species (Gastropoda: Conidae) from the Gulf of Mexico. Novapex 7(2-3): 71-76. 2006
Cooke’s Leptachatina Snail was described in 1914, it is known only from subfossil specimens that had been found at a few scattered locations in western O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands. [1]
This was apparently a coastal, respectively lowland species and thus disappeared shortly after the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers.
*********************
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
This species inhabited the forests of the Mt. Ka’ala and parts of the Wai’anae Mountains on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
… from the species’ description.:
“Shell irregularely, acutely conical, the apex ponted; last whorl inflated; thin, corneous, with minute longitudinal striae; whorls 7, rounded; aperture subovate; lip thin, translucent; columella straight, white, and armed with a transverse plaited tooth. Color uniform dark horn, columella and tooth white.” [1]
The shells reach sizes of 1,1 to 1,75 in heigth and up to 0,85 cm in diameter.
*********************
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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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911′
The Desirable Leptachatina Snail was described in 1911; it is known from two subfossil shells that were found at Lē’ahi (Diamond Head) in the south-eastern part of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
This shells reach a height of about 0.78 cm.
“The description is based on two specimens one of which is not adult and is slightly broken. it is most closely related to L. exilis Gul. from the same island. L. exoptabilis is, however, larger, with less convex outlines and is narrower in proportion to its length.” [1]
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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)
*********************
References:
[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911
The Small-ribboned Oahu Tree Snail was described in 1846; like all members of its genus, it was endemic to the island of O’ahu in the Hawaiian Islands.
The shells reach sizes of about 1,8 to 2 cm in height; they are dextral, ovate-oblong, spiro-conic, solid, striatulate, more obsolete toward the apex and with slightly convex whorls; glossy white, ornamented with varying brown bands; the white columella is strongly toothed above and the margin is dilated, reflexed and appressed; the white aperture is irregularly semioval; the peristome is narrowly thickened outside and strongly lipped within. [1]
***
The Small-ribboned Oahu Tree Snail was last seen in 1966 at the Hawai’iloa- and the Kuliouou Ridges in the Ko’olau Mountains; it is now most like exinct. [1]
***
According to some authors, this species is actually a subspecies of the Green Oahu Tree Snail (Achatinella viridans Mighels), as there seems to be a complete integration between them. [1]
************************
References:
[1] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993
*********************
Depiction from: ‘W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22, Achatinellidae 1912-1914’
The Dirty Sap Beetle was described in 1881; it was restricted to the slopes of the Mauna Loa on the island of Hawai’i, Hawaiian Islands.
The species reaches a length of about 0,46 to 0,55 cm; it was dark brown to black, with the elytra having brick red markings. [1]
***
Like all members of its group, this species lived under the bark of decaying koa trees (Acacia koa A. Gray), a habitat that now has been overtaken by introduced terrestrial isopods, leading to the extinction of this, and many other endemic invertebrate species. [1]
*********************
References:
[1] Curtis Ewing: Revision of the endemic Hawaiian sap beetle genus Apetasimus Sharp 1908 (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae). Zootaxa 1385: 1-30. 2006
This species was described in 1917; it was found at a place named Waiahole at the crest of the Ko’olau Mountains along the eastern coast of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
The shells of this species reach sizes of about 1 to 1,2 cm in height.
*********************
References:
[1] C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917
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Photo from: ‘C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917’
The Rock-dwelling Leptachatina Snail was described in 1856; it is known from Mokulē’ia near the north-western shore of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands, where it was found under stones in open places.
The shells are only about 0.6 cm heigh; they are glass-like transparent, shining, and very finely striated.
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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)
*********************
References:
[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911
The Pagan Reed Warbler was endemic to Pagan, a volcanic island in the northern part of the Marianas archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.
The species reached a size of about 17 cm and superficially resembled the likewise extinct Nightingale Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus luscinius (Quoy & Gaimard)).
The Pagan Reed Warbler was restricted to the reeds around the two wetlands that exist on the island; it disappeared due to the introduction of ungulates who destroyed much of the island’s native vegetation. It was last seen in 1969 and is now clearly extinct.
This feather mite was described in 2005; it is known from an immature skin of a Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis (L.)) without further data that had been collected sometimes before 1869 and was subsequently found on other Carolina Parakeet skins as well.
The species was adapted to its single host, the Carolina Parakeet, and died out together with its host. [1]
*********************
References:
[1] Serge V. Mironov; Jacek Dabert; Rainer Ehrnsberger: Six new feather mite species (Acari: Astigmata) from the carolina parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae), an extinct parrot of North America. Journal of Natural History 39: 2257-2278. 2005
This species was described in 1991 on the basis of subfossil remains that were recovered from Holocene deposits on the island of Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands.
The biology of this species is not known.
*********************
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
This species was described in 2003 based on a single (?) specimen, a male that had been collected sometimes in the early 20th century at an not further specified locality on the Kilauea volcano on the island of Hawai’i.
The species is known to have nested in the burrows left behind by the larvae of beetles from the genus Halcobius in the stems of kolea (Myrsine spp.).
The species differs from nearly all others by its red metasoma (the posterior part of the body), which it shares only with the Paradox Masked Bee (Hylaeus paradoxus (Schrottky)), and by its somewhat u-shaped facial markings. [1]
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References:
[1] Howell V. Daly; Elwood Curtin Zimmerman; Karl N. Magnacca: ‘Insects of Hawaii; Volume 17; Hawaiian Hylaeus (Nesoprosopis) Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). 2003
The Aged Amastra Snail is one of many forms of its genus that are actually known only based on (sub)fossil material; this one was found in deposits of the Hanama’ulu plains near the eastern coast of Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands.
“This extremely variable form is abundant in road cuttings on the coastal plain south of the Wailua river. There are several distinct forms found associated in the different deposits. The typical form described above might be considered a distinct species if it did not occur with numerous intergrades of other forms which closely approach A. rugulosa normalis. A constant differentiating character between all these specimens of annosa and normalis is the very weak, oblique, deeply situated columellar fold of the former. Some of the specimens of annosa at first glance seem to belong to the subgenus Cyclamastra but the embryonic whorls are less convex than those of any species of this subgenus.” [1]
*********************
References:
[1] C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917
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Photo from: ‘C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917’
The Guam Rufous Fantail is one of the victims of the Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis (Merrem in Bechstein)), a snake species that was introduced to Guam probably sometimes during the 1940s resulting in the devastating loss of nearly all native bird species.
Like so many other bird species from guam, this one was last seen during the 1985s, it is now extinct.
***
The Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons (Latham)), if treated as a single species, occurs from eastern Australia to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and parts of Micronesia; however, this species is a candidate for splitting, which would lead to the Guam Rufous Fantail being treated as a distinct, monotypic species, while the other two remaining subspecies found in the Mariana Islands today (the one from Saipan Island is depicted below) would be regarded to as another, closely related one.
***
The name that the Chamorro, the native inhabitans of the Mariana Islands, gave this bird is Chichirika, this name is now apparently used for the Eurasian Tree Sparow (Passer montanus (L.)), a species that was imported to the Mariana Islands.
This feather mite was described in 2005; it is known from an immature skin of a Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis (L.)) without further data that had been collected sometimes before 1869 and was subsequently found on other Carolina Parakeet skins as well.
The species was adapted to its single host, the Carolina Parakeet, and died out together with its host. [1]
*********************
References:
[1] Serge V. Mironov; Jacek Dabert; Rainer Ehrnsberger: Six new feather mite species (Acari: Astigmata) from the carolina parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae), an extinct parrot of North America. Journal of Natural History 39: 2257-2278. 2005
The Maui Highland Finch aka. Maui Upland Finch was described in 1991 based on subfossil remains that had been collected from cave deposits on the island of Maui, Hawaiian Islands.
When alive, the species appears to have been restricted to higher elevations, its remains were never found in lowland deposits. [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
The Primitive Koa Finch was described in 2005 based on subfossil remains that were found on the island of Maui, Hawaiian Islands.
At least on Maui the species occurred in sympatry with another closely related species, the Scissor-billed Koa Finch (Rhodacanthis forfex James & Olson), a constellation which is known also from the island of Hawai’i, where two other congeneric species, the Lesser- (Rhodacanthis flaviceps Rothschild) and the Greater Koa-Finch (Rhodacanthis palmeri Rothschild) formed mixed flocks feeding together.
The primitive Koa-Finch disappeared before the first Europeans arrived on the Hawaiian Islands.
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References:
[1] Helen F. James; Storrs L. Olson: The diversity and biogeography of koa-finches (Drepanidini: Rhodacanthis), with descriptions of two new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 144: 527-541. 2005
The Sandbar Milkvetch is known exclusively from the type material that had been collected in 1947 near Cameron in Coconino County, Arizona, USA, where the plant grew a gravelly washes and sandbars of summer-dry streams at elevations of 1110-1200 m.
This species was never found again and is believed to be extinct.
This species is considered the first scientifically described insect species from the Hawaiian Islands, as the first specimen was collected on the day of Cook’s landing on the island of Kaua’i on January 21, 1778.The Kauaian Rasp Wasp did not build its own nesting tubes but instead took over existing burrows into which it introduced micro butterfly caterpillars as food for its larvae.
The species was apparently last seen in 1925 and is now very likely extinct.
***
syn. Odynerus radula (Fabricius)
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Depiction from: ‘Fauna Hawaiiensis; being the land-fauna of the Hawaiian Islands. by various authors, 1899-1913. Cambridge [Eng.]: The University Press 1913’
(public domain)
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References:
[1] James M. Carpenter: Review of Hawaiian Vespidae (Hymenoptera). Bishop Occasional Papers 99: 1-18 2008
This form, described in 1920, was restricted to the island of Lana’i, Hawaiian Islands.
“Specimens from Lanai differ slightly from the Molokai form. The shells are slightly smaller, more conical in outline, tapering more gradually towards a somewhat acute summit; they are darker colored and with the pale zone only indicated near the aperture. There are 16 to 18 ribs on the last whorl; the embryonic whorls, under a strong lens, are distinctly, spirally striate; the columellar fold enters obliquely, is short, almost nodule-like when viewed above, and there is usually a minute basal fold, situated deep within. Length 2.5, diam. 1.5, apert. 0.92 mm.; 5 1/2 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
The Towered Leptachatina Snail was described in 1856; it was apparently restricted to a small area named Lihue near the southern foots of the Wai’anae Mountains on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
The shells reach sizes of about 0.9 cm; they are translucent dark corneous and finely striated. [1]
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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
This species was described in 1931; it is known from at least two specimens that were found along the so-called Olokeke trail (a place that I cannot trace) on the island of Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands; the specimens, when found, had only been dead for a short time.
The shells must have reached heights of up to 3.8 cm, maybe more. [1]
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References:
[1] C. Montague Cooke Jr.: The land snail genus Carelia. Bishop Museum Bulletin 85: 1-97. 1931
The shells reach sizes of about 1,9 cm in height; they are glossy yellow, green, olive or chestnut, often banded with green or chestnut; the extremely color patterns were already mentioned by the species’ author.:
“The colouring of this species is extremely variable; there is, however, but one prevailing idea in its manner of distribution. The columella is of a livid purple-rose in all the varieties.” [1]
“This is one of the most common shells met with on Oahu, and passes through numerous slight variations, which have led to their description as distinct species.” [1]
***
The species was last found in 1965 along the slopes of the Pu’u ‘ohi’a (Mt. Tantalus); it is now considered extinct. [2]
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References:
[1] E. W. Thwing: Reprint of the original descriptions of the genus Achatinella. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(1): 1-196. 1907 [2] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993
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Depiction from: ‘W. Tryon; H. A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata, Vol. 22, Achatinellidae 1912-1914′
This species, described in 1845, was restricted to the Wai’anae Mountains on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
The type specimens appear to have been destroyed and C. Montague Cooke, while assigning some specimens to Jesse Wedgwood Mighels’ description, writes the following statement.:
“It is with some hesitation that I refer shells to this species. Mighel’s description is incomplete and the types were probably lost in the fire which destroyed part of his collection as no trace can be found of this species. … My specimens are slightly larger than Mighel’s measurements and have an additional whorl. The measurements of an average specimen are: Length 7.0, diam. 2.3, alt. of ap. 2.3 mm.” [1]
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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)
*********************
References:
[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911
Yellow-tipped Oahu Tree Snail (Achatinella apexfulva)
The tree snails of the genus Achatinella are only found on the island of O’ahu in the Hawaiian archipelago; 41 species are currently accepted, of which about 20 may still survive.
All species inhabit trees and shrubs where they feed on fungi by scraping them from the surfaces of leaves or trunks; the snails are hermaphroditic and give birth to live young, however, only to a few each year. The snails can live to about ten years or even more, the growth rate is very low, and they reach maturity only with about six years.
The tree snails are very vulnerable to loss of individuals through over-collecting, but also to habitat destruction and especially to the introduction of predators like rats, or more recently the snail-eating Rosy Wolfsnail (Euglandina rosea (Férussac)). [1]
***
The Yellow-tipped Oahu Tree Snail was indeed the first member of its genus to reach Europe – as part of a shell lei, given by native Hawaiians to George Dixon, a British ship captain in 1786, and to be scientifically described – in 1789.
The species was restricted to some of the ridges of the Ko’olau Mountains, where it was last found in 1985. [1]
The shells reach sizes of about 1,9 cm in height; they are dextral or sinistral and are quite variably colored; the embryonic whorl might be yellow, the following whorls are blackish brown to chestnut-colored, sometimes with some whitish streaks and spiral lines; the narrow suture is light-edged; the moderately thickened lip is flesh- to salmon-colored while the columellar fold is nearly white; the aperture is bluish white within. [1]
***
The species was last seen in the wild at the Poamoho Trail and was considered extinct in the wild since then; a little captive population (brought into captivity in 1997) was all that was left of this species. This population, however, did not breed and finally was down to a last surviving individual.
This individual, named George (see photo below), died today (1. January 2019) at the age of 14 years, an exceptional age for an invertebrate species. [2]
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References:
[1] Recovery Plan for the O’ahu Tree Snails of the genus Achatinella. U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Region One, Portland, Oregon. April 1993 [2] Jacina Bowler: Lonely George – A Hawaiian Tree Snail – Has Died, Taking His Species With Him. Science Alert January 9, 2019
Toothless Virginia Livermoss (Plagiochila virginica var. euryphylla)
The Toothless Virginia Livermoss, a variety of the Virginia Livermoss that can be distinguished from the normal form by the lack of teeth on its leaves, was found only once in 1949 on rocks below Windy Falls, a waterfall in the Horsepasture River Gorge in Transylvania County of North Carolina, USA.
The taxon has never found since and is considered extinct.
The Speckled Sap Beetle was described in 1881; it was apparently found near the city of Honolulu on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands, but is otherwise also known to have occurred on the island of Hawai’i.
The species reached a length of about 0,52 to 0,61 cm; it was brick red to nearly blackish, with some pale yellow to orange-red markings. [1]
***
The Speckled Sap Beetle was living subcortical in the wood of decaying koa trees (Acacia koa A. Gray); this microhabitat was severely disrupted on all of the Hawaiian main islands by the introduction of terrestrial isopods, leading to the disappearance of nearly all invertebrates that shared the same modus vivendi. [1]
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References:
[1] Curtis Ewing: Revision of the endemic Hawaiian sap beetle genus Apetasimus Sharp 1908 (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae). Zootaxa 1385: 1-30. 2006
The Girded Leptachatina Snail was described in 1845; it is known to have inhabited parts of the Wai’anae Mountains on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
The shells reach heights of about 0.6 to 0.7 cm; they are “dextral, conical, horn color, smooth, polished, imperforate; whorls six, convex, with an impressed revolving line just below the suture; aperture semiovate; lip simple acute.” [1]
***
Note: This species is very often found under the name Leptachatina accineta (Mighels), which is a writing error.
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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
The Woven Amastra Snail was described in 1824, it appears to have been quite widespread around the center of southern O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands and indeed has repeatedly been described independently by several authors under a bunch of different names.
The shells are quite variable and reach sizes of 1,25 to 1,8 cm in heigth and 0,8 to 0,95 cm in diameter. [1]
At least three distinct subspecies have been described.
*********************
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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Depiction from: ‘ George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911’
The Central Valley Grasshopper was described in 1901; it is known from only four areas in the Central Valley in California, USA.
“Robust, pale testaceous, almost plain, with a few scattered spots in the middle of the tegmina occupying the usual position of the fuscous bands; anterior and posterior fields plain except for exceedingly faint spots near the base. … Length of body, female, 30 mm.; length of tegmina, 30 mm.; length of posterior femora, 18 mm. ….” [1]
The species has not been found since 1953 and is believed to be extinct.
***
syn. Trimerotropis hyalina McNeill
*********************
References:
[1] Jerome McNeill: Revision of the orthopteran genus Trimerotropis. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 23(1215): 393-449. 1901
The Graceful Laminella Snail was described in 1845, it was found in the Mapulehu Valley near the southeastern coast of Moloka’i, Hawaiian Islands.
This species differs from the congeneric Alexander’s Laminella Snail (Laminella alexandri (Newcomb)) and the Depicted Laminella Snail (Laminella depicta (Baldwin)) by its more swollen last whorl and the sunken black markings, which are generally coarser than in L. depicta and which do not form the characteristic patterns.
The shells reach sizes of about 1,35 cm in heigth and 0,62 to 0,73 in diameter.
The animal itself is also mentioned in the description.:
“The animal … is slender, body flesh-color with black puncta down the sides; tentacles very black. When extended, two-thirds as long as the shell.” [1]
***
The Graceful Laminella Snail has three additional color morphs assigned to it, orginally described as varieties, which in fact may well be distinct subspecies: var. muscaria Hyatt & Pilsbry, var. orientalis Hyatt & Pilsbry, var. semivestita Hyatt & Pilsbry. [1]
*********************
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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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911’
Rice’s Amastra Snail was described in 1917, apparently based on only five recently dead specimens, it was restricted to a small part of the Miloli’i Valley near the northwestern coast of Kaua’i.
The shells reached sizes of about 2,4 cm in heigth and 1,2 to 1,3 cm in diameter.
***
The author of the species also described a variety, named as var. armillata, from the same locality, based on two dead specimens (empty shells) which may be of Pleistocene age or may just have been old surface shells.
This variety differs from the normal form in the following way …:
“… the fourth and fifth whorls are slightly swollen, and the surface is more coarsely but not as closely sculptured with growth-wrinkles. The periphery is distinctly carinated on the last whorl; the carina is margined along its upper edge by a deep narrow sinus. The lower halff of the last whorl descends rather rapidly, with the carina appearing slightly above the suture. The outer margin of the aperture is distinctly modified by the carina. The upper portion being flattened, the lower evenly arched. The columellar fold is weak, thread-like, very oblique and deeply situated.” [1]
*********************
References:
[1] C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917
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Depiction from: ‘ C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917’
The Bigleaf Snakeroot aka. Large-leaved Leather-root was described in 1919; it is endemic to the Tyron Mountains in North Carolina, USA.
The species has never been found since 1899 when the type material was collected; it may well be extinct.
***
The photo below shows a congeneric taxon, the Eastern Sampson’s Snakeroot (Orbexilum psoralioides(Walter) Vincent), photographed in North Carolina, USA.
The Ribbed Slitshell was described in 1860, like all members of this genus, it was endemic to the Coosa River in Alabama, USA, it died out after the impoundment of the river system in the early 20th century.
The Beautiful Leptachatina Snail was described in 1911; it was inhabiting the slopes of the Wai’anae Mountains on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands where it was found in open country at the base of small ferns.
The shells reach heights of about 0.83 cm; they are somewhat glossy, the spire and the upper part of the last whorl are light brown, the base is darker brown with a dark brown band accompanying the sutures.
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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
Pringle’s Monardella apparently was restricted to a small area of sandy hills near the city of Colton in San Bernardino County in California, USA.
The locality is now mostly destroyed by urbanization, the species was last seen in 1941 and is now considered most likely extinct.
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Depiction from: ‘Le Roy Abrams: An illustrated flora of the Pacific States: Washington, Oregon, and California. Stanford University, Stanford University Press 1923-60’
The Konahuanui Blackburnia Ground Beetle was described in 1878, it was apparently restricted to the Pu’u Konahuanui, the tallest peak of the Ko’olau Range on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
The species is thought to be extinct due to predation by introduced ants. [1]
*********************
References:
[1] James K. Liebherr: Hawaiian Blackburnia beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Platynini): Patterns of specialization with implications for conservation. Mitteilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für allgemeine und angewendete Entomologie 15: 57-62. 2006
This species was endemic to the island of Hawai’i, Hawaiian Islands.
The shells reach heights of about 0.5 cm; since they are only known based on subfossil remains, the original color is not known.
“A small species unlike anything from Hawaii. … The surface is minutely and very closely striate with lines of growth. This species is rather abundant in the fossil deposits explored by Dr. Henshaw in Mana.“
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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
The Santa Catalina Monkeyflower is apparently known exclusively from the type material that was collected in 1901 or 1904 (depending on the source); the species was restricted to Santa Catalina Island in the Channel Islands group offshore the Pacific coast of California, USA.
The species presumably disappeared due to grazing by introduced ungulates and is now considered extinct.
This species was described in 1899, it is apparently endemic to the coastal areas of the island of Kaua’i, Hawiian Islands, only female specimens are known.
The head and mesosoma are black, the metasoma is dark reddish brown, the legs are dark brown with a pale area on the fore tibias, the wings are yellowish colored.
The species was not recorded during recent searches and might well be extinct. [1]
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References:
[1] Howell V. Daly; Elwood Curtin Zimmerman; Karl N. Magnacca: ‘Insects of Hawaii; Volume 17; Hawaiian Hylaeus (Nesoprosopis) Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). 2003
This species was described in 1900; it is known from the slopes of Mt. Ka’ala, the highest mountain of the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
The shells reach heights of about 0.78 cm; According to the species’ author it is “a brownish horny, pyramidal shell which has no striking characters.“.
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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)
*********************
References:
[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911
The Puerto Rican Amazon (Amazona vittata (Boddaert)) is a very rare parrot species that is now restricted to the island of Puerto Rico in the Lesser Antilles, at least one subspecies formerly occurred on the offshore island of Culebra.
The same form, or perhaps another endemic one occurred on the nearby island of Vieques, this form, however, is only known by reliable accounts like the following one.:
“Parrots are found during the rainy season in the months of June, July and August in the heavy forest of the southern side of the island. It is believed that they cross at that season from Porto Rico. Señor José Bartôn was well acquainted with them and told me that they were considered a game bird, making a highly desirable dish for the table. There were none here during the period of my visit.” [1]
The Vieques Amazon, if it indeed was a distinct form, disappeared sometimes after this account, the reasons are clearly mentioned in the account.
*********************
References:
[1] Alexander Wetmore: The birds of Vieques Island, Porto Rico. The Auk 33: 403-419. 1916
The Oahu Earwig was described in 1980; it is endemic to the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands and is one of the four species that was split off Perkin’s Earwig (Anisolabis perkinsi Burr) during a genu revision in 1980.
The species is about 1,2 to about 1,9 cm long.
The Oahu Earwig was last recorded in the 1920s and may in fact be extinct now. [1]
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References:
[1] A. Brindle: The cavernicolous fauna of Hawaiian lava tubes: 12. A new species of blind troglobitic earwig (Dermaptera: Carcinophoridae), with a revision of the related surface-living earwigs of the Hawaiian Islands. Pacific Insects 21(4): 261-274. 1980
This species was described in 2009, it was described based on subfossil shells that were collected from the Waipoli Dune fossil deposit on the island of Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands. The age of these deposit is not known but is most likely Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene.
The shells of this species reached sizes of 2,49 cm, making it one of the largest species in its genus. [1]
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References:
[1] Mike Severns: A new species of newcombia from the Pleistocene of Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands, USA (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Achatinellidae). Basteria 73: 57-60. 2009
Hillebrand’s Phyllostegia was described in 1888, it is known from two collections from eastern Maui, Hawaiian Islands; one from Kula in the center -, and the other one from ‘Ulupalakua near the southern shore of the island.
The species is now extinct. [1]
*********************
References:
[1] Warren L. Wagner: Nomenclator and review of Phyllostegia (Lamiaceae). Novon 9(2): 265-279. 1999
The Oahu Kioea is known only from subfossil remains that were found on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
The species has not been described yet, but appears to have been distinct from the historically known Hawaiian Kioea. [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
The Ula Ai Hawane was described in 1879, the species is historically known for certain only from the island of Hawai’i, however, it is possible that two of the five existing specimens were collected on the island of Moloka’i (these two are of a supposed female and a likewise supposed immature male (see depiction below)). [2]
The species reached a size of about 11 to 12 cm; the males had a light grey head and neck, a black breast and a bright red rump, the wings were black and red as well, with the outer webs of the tertials white; the females were olive green and brown in color. [4]
Since the only two specimens that possibly come from Moloka’i differ from the other three, they might as well be interpreted as a distinct subspecies.
***
The Hawaiian name ʻula-ʻai-hāwane means “red eating hawane”, hawane are the fruits of the endemic lo’ulu palms (Pritchardia spp.). The birds were only ever found near the lo’ulu palms and are thought to have fed on their flowers and fruits or perhaps on insects hiding in the leaf axilles. [3]
***
Subfossil remains found on Moloka’i were also assigned to this species, however, it is definitely possible that the Moloka’ian birds differed from the Hawaiians at the subspecies level. [1]
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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] Storrs L. Olson: William T. Brigham’s Hawaiian birds and a possible historical record of Ciridops anna (Aves: Drepanidini) from Molokai. Pacific Scenice 46(4): 495-500. 1992 [3] H. D. Pratt: The Hawaiian Honeycreepers: Drepanidinae. Oxford University Press 2005 [4] Storrs L. Olson: History, structure, evolution, behaviour, distribution, and ecology of the extinct Hawaiian genus Ciridops (Fringillidae, Carduelini, Drepanidini). The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 124(4): 651-674. 2012
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Depiction from: ‘Scott B. Wilson; A. H. Wilson; Frederick William Frohawk; Hans Gadow: Aves Hawaiienses: the birds of the Sandwich Islands. London: R. H. Porter 1890-1899’
The Samoan Lorikeet is a hypothetical species that might in fact once have existed, it is, however, not fully understood if it was a native form of the Samoan Islands, or if it may have also occurred on the Tongan Islands as well, or if it might have originted from somewhere else and was just traded among these island groups. [2]
All we know about this very enigmatic form comes from a single account, made by Otto von Kotzebue, a Russian officer and navigator in the Imperial Russian Navy, in the early 19th century; his reports, however, are otherwise incredibly contemptuous, inhumane and racist and speak of the local Polynesian people as cannibals and wild, blood-thirsty almost-animals etc..:
“Noch eines Handelsartikels auf unserem Markte muß ich erwähnen. Es waren gezähmte Tauben und Papageyen. Erstere weichen von den europäischen sowohl in der Form, als in der Farbenpracht sehr ab. Auch waren ihre Klauen, mit denen sie sich, wie Spechte, an die Taue haften, anders gestaltet. Die Papagayen waren nur von der Größe eines Sperlings, mit dem lebhaftesten Roth und Grün gezeichnet, und der rothe Schweif übertraf an Länge den Körper wohl um vier Mal.” [1]
translation:
“One more item on our market I have to mention. These were tamed pigeons and parrots. The former differ markedly from the European ones in their form and in their colorfulness. Their claws, with which they, like woodpeckers, cling to the ropes, were also designed differently. The parrots were only the size of a sparrow, painted with the most vivid red and green, and the red tail was perhaps four times longer than the body.“
***
The specific account apparently was made on or offshore an island named Olajava, according to the description given by Kotzebue I personally think that the island in question is the one today known as Ofu in American Samoa.
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Referenzen:
[1] Otto von Kotzebue: Reise um die Welt in den Jahren 1823, 24, 25 und 26. Weimar: W. Hoffman 1830 [2] Julian P. Hume: Extinct Birds: Bloomsbury Natural History; 2nd edition 2017
The Unicoi Mountains Ground Beetle was described in 1979, this subspecies of the Luminous Ground Beetle (Trechus luculentus Barr) is known only from the type locality, Stratton Meadows a place that extends from Monroe County, Tennessee to Graham County in North Carolina, USA. [1]
This form is considered possibly extinct.
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References:
[1] Thomas C. Barr Jr.: Revision of Appalachian Trechus (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Brimleyana 2: 29-75. 1979
The Waimea Blackburnia Ground Beetle was described in 1903, it occurred only at elevations of 600 to 1270 m on the leeward reaches of the Waimea Canyon on the island of Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands. It is thought to have been a riparian species, since all localities, at which this species was found, are along the tributaries of the Waimea River.
The last specimens of this species were apparently collected in 1935 and it is now thought to be possibly extinct. [1]
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References:
[1] J. K. Liebherr; E. C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii: Hawaiian Carabidae (Coleoptera), Part 1: Introduction and Tribe Platynini. University of Hawaii Press 2000
This species was described in 1911; it inhabited the Wai’anae Mountains on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
The shells reach sizes of about 1 cm; they are minutely perforate, ovate, corneous, nearly solid, scarcely glossy, faintly and closely striated with growth lines; the aperture is rather large, subovate, very slightly oblique and nearly perpendicular; the columella is nearly straight, arcuate below and bears an acute callus along its face; the outer lip is slightly arcuate and distinctly thickened; the umbilicus is very minute. [1]
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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
This species was described in 1855; it is thought to have been endemic to the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
The Terete Leptachatina Snail appears to be very closely related to the Obtuse Leptachatina Snail (Leptachatina obtusa (Pfeiffer)) and both may even be conspecific. [1]
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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
The Opipara Leptachatina Snail was described in 1911; it was restricted to a small area in the mountainous area behind the Palolo Valley in south-eastern O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
The shells reach heights of about 0.94 cm; they are thin, glossy and corneous colored.
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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
This species was described in 2015, it is one of several, mostly very large ground beetle species that are known exclusively from subfossil remains found in the makauwahi Cave on the island of Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands.
The Mothra Blackburnia Ground is the second-largest member of its genus, it died out shortly after the arrival of the first Polynesians on the Hawaiian Islands. [1]
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References:
[1] James K. Liebherr; Nick Porch: Reassembling a lost lowland carabid beetle assemblage (Coleoptera) from Kauai, Hawaiian Islands. Invertebrate Systematics 29: 191-213. 2015
The Philippiana Newcombia Snail was described in 1857, the species is known only from the type series which was collected on one of the Hawaiian Islands (most likely Moloka’i), its taxonomic status, however, is not fully understood.
The species is considered extinct. [1]
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References:
[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914
Lanai Phyllostegia (Phyllostegia glabra var. lanaiensis)
The Lanai Phyllostegia was described in 1934 based on material that had been collected in 1914, it was restricted to the Kaiholena Gulch on Lana’ihale, the highest point on the island of Lana’i, Hawaiian Islands.
The plant is thought to have been seen sometimes in the 1980s, however, it is thought that this might rather have been the nominate form. [1]
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References:
[1] Warren L. Wagner: Nomenclator and review of Phyllostegia (Lamiaceae). Novon 9(2): 265-279. 1999
The Neeley Farm Cave Rove Beetle was described in 1987; it is only known from a single locality, the Neely Farm Cave in the Mercer County of West Virginia, USA.
The species is now considered most likely extinct.
The Willamette Fritillary is an undescribed subspecies of the Callippe Fritillary (Argynnis callippe Boisduval) (see depiction below) that apparently was restricted to the Willamette Valley in northwestern Oregon, USA.
The Yellow-banded Miner Bee was described in 1960, it restricted to the dunes of what today is the Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge, a part of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex in California, USA.
The taxon reached a length of about 0,5 cm; its head and thorax were glossy black, the abdomen was blackish brown with light yellow horizontal stripes.
The Yellow-banded Miner Bee is now possibly extinct.
The Green Springs Mountain Caddisfly was described in 1958; it is known only from two male specimens that were collected on Green Springs Mountain in Jackson County, Ohio, USA.
The biology of the species is unknown and no additional specimen was ever found; the species is thought to be extinct.
Giffard’s Leaf-roller was described in 1921, the species was restricted to the slopes of the Kilauea volcano on the island of Hawai’i, Hawaiian Islands.
The species reached a wingspan of about 2,5 cm.
The caterpillars fed on the native grass Ohe (Isachne distichophylla Munro ex Hillebr.). [1]
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References:
[1] Elwood C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii 8; Lepidoptera: Pyralidae. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1958
This form is known by a fragment of a cranium including the frontal and parts of the interoribital septum and maxilla, which where excavated from deposits of the Pu’u Naio Cave on the island of Maui, Hawaiian Islands.
This species was about the size of the Wahi Crosbeak (Chloridops wahi James & Olson), that is 13 to 14,5 cm, but probably was not a close relative of it.
***
There appear to exist remains of at least two additional finch forms in the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., USA, that were collected on Maui and still await their description as soon as more material is found.
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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
The Pagoda-shaped Amastra Snail was described in 1917; it is known only from (sub)fossil remains that were recovered from late Pleistocene/early Holocene deposits at Pu’u Wa’awa’a, an ancient cinder cone in Kona on the island of Hawai’i.
The shells reached average sizes of 0,8 to about 1 cm in height.
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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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Photo from: ‘C. Montague Cooke: Some new species of Amastra. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 3(3): 1-34. 1917’
This form is known only from reports from the 1850s as well as from subfossil remains that were recovered from deposits on the island of Maui, Hawaiian Islands.
Taken into account the fact that all known island forms of the species are considered distinct subspecies, the form that formerly inhabited the island of Maui, must also have been a distinct form.
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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
The Coastal Phyllostegia or Variable Phyllostegia was described in 1900, the species was originally discovered on the island of Laysan but was subsequently also found on the Kure- and Midway atolls in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Hugo H. Schauinsland wrote the first notes about this species, that he discovered in 1896.:
“Phyllostegia variabilis Bitter nov. sp. Here and there on the E and W side near the beach. The numerous small flowers appear first during winter, beginning in November. It is a herbaceous plant, with few unbranched runners which I found to be 3/4 to 1 m long.” [2]
***
“… In 1896 it was scattered near the beach of the west and east sides (Schauinsland, 1899: 97). It was still present in small patches in 1903, mostly on the windward side (Christophersen and Caum, 1931: 11). it disappeared from Laysan before 1911.” [1]
The species is now completely extinct.
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References:
[1] Charles A. Ely; Roger B. Clapp: The natural history of Laysan Island, northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 171. 1973 [2] Hugo H. Schauinsland: Three months on a coral island (Laysan); translated by Miklos D. F. Udvardy. Atoll Research Bulletin 432. 1996
Puerto Rico Curly-tailed Lizard (Leiocephalus partidus)
The Puerto Rico Curly-tailed Lizard was described in 1981, as far as I know it is known only from two subfossil remains that had been recovered from the Guánica Bat Cave in the Reserva Forestal Guánica in the Minicipio de Guayanilla, and from the Cueva del Perro in the Municipio de Morovis, Puerto Rico.
The species reached a large size which has been estimated as having been around 30 cm (including the tail).
The radiocarbon age of these remains is not available yet but they are most likely of Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene in age. [1]
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References:
[1] Gregory K. Pregill: Systematics of the West Indian Lizard Genus Leiocephalus (Squamata: Iguania: Tropiduridae). Miscellaneous Publications of the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas 84: 1-69. 1992
The Narrow-billed Kioea is known from subfossil bones that were found on the island of Maui, Hawaiian Islands.
The species had a much narrower bill than the Hawaiian Kioe, with which it occurred sympatrically (at least if the form known as Chaetoptila sp. ‘Maui Nui’ indeed turns out to be identical with this 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
The Fragile Amastra Snail was found in the vicinity of a freshwater spring near a pipeline trail in Kaunakaki, a place at the southern coast of the Hawaiian island of Moloka’i, as well as some other places further east.
The shells reached sizes of about 0,9 cm in height, they were:
“… thin, fragile, perforate, narrowly ovate-conic, chestnut brown, scarcely shining, very finely, irregularely striate and with larger striae at irregular intervals; commonly dubed with faecal matter and soil.” [1]
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References:
[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol. 23: Appendix to Amastridae. Tornatellinidae. Index, vols. XXI-XXIII. 1915-1916
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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol. 23: Appendix to Amastridae. Tornatellinidae. Index, vols. XXI-XXIII. 1915-1916’
Gray’s Amastra Snail was described in 1855, it was endemic to the Lana’ihale, the highest point on the island of Lana’i in the Hawaiian Islands, were it was found on the ground of the native forests.
This was a rather large species, its shells reached sizes of up to 2,1 cm in heigth.
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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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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911′
The Hawaiian Sphinx Moth was originally thought to be a subspecies of the Maui-nui Sphinx Moth (Hyles calida (Butler)) which itself occurs on the islands of Lana’i, Maui, Moloka’i and O’ahu; the population of the island of Kaua’i is now known to constitute another, not yet described, distinct species. [1]
The moth reaches a wingspan of slightly over 6 cm, males and females are superficially identical.
The larvae of these genus were thought to be quite polyphagous, however, it is now known that they feed exclusively on the endemic members of the Coffee family (Rubiaceae) including Bobea spp., Coprosma spp., Gardenia spp., Kadua spp., and Psychotria spp..
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The Hawaiian Sphinx Moth has not been recorded in recent years and is now believed to be extinct.
Photo: The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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References:
[1] Elwood C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii 7; Macrlepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1958 [2] Daniel Rubinoff; Michael San Jose; Anna K. Hundsdoerfer: Cryptic diversity in a vagile Hawaiian moth group suggests cmplex factors drive diversification. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 152. 2020
The Pauoa Amastra Snail was described in 1873, it comes from the Nu’uanu Valley and the small adjecent Pauoa Valley in the vicinity of the Pu’u Konahuanui in the eastern part of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
… from the original description.:
“Shell dextral, ovate-conic, hardly shining, somewhat roughly striated with growth-lines; white under a fulvous epidermis, which is generally worn off below the suture on the last whorl. Whorls 5 1/2, a little convex. Aperture subquadrate, white, not as long as the spire; peristome thin; columella straight, provided with a small median fold; lips connected by a very thin callus. length 15, diam. 8 mm.” [1]
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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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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911′
The Guam Amber Snail was described in 1857, it is thought to be endemic to the island of Guam, Mariana Islands.
The species appears to be extinct now.
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According to another source this species is said to also inhabit Koror, Palau Islands as well as the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia, the specimens collected from there, however, are somewhat smaller that those from Guam. [1]
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References:
[1] O. F. von Moellendorff: The land shells of the Caroline Islands. Journal of Malacology 7: 101-126. 1900
The Antillean Cave Rail, which is also known as DeBooy’s Rail, was a large, flightless species that is known exclusively from subfossil remains recovered from cave deposits on the islands of Saint Croix and Saint Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands as well as on Puerto Rico.
The species was originally known exclusively from subfossil midden remains, and it was not clear to which island it originally was native to since the birds appear to have been an important meat-source and to have been transported from island to island by the native inhabitants of the region.:
“There is at beast considerable uncertainty as to the exact place of origin of bone remains from kitchen midden deposits, but it may be supposed that where so many bones representing one species are found, that these came from the island on which the midden was located. There is no proof, however, that they belong to a truly indigenous species, nor is it known that they were not brought as needed from somewhere else. The comparative abundance of the remains of this rail in these deposits when compared with other species of birds indicate that it possessed flesh that was held in high esteem as a source of food. This beeing the case, there is no evidence to show that these rails may not have been kept as captives and transported from island to island by their owners.“
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The Antillean Cave Rail was later also found in cave deposits on Puerto Rico without any archaeological context and thus appear to have probably been native to that island. [2]
The species might have survived on Puerto Rico into the 19th century: there are stories of a bird called carroo, that was run down with dogs by hunters prior to 1912; the name is now applied to the Limpkin (Aramus guarana (L.)), which is a wary bird with strong flight abilities, that very unlikely can be captured with dogs. [3]
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References:
[1] A. Wetmore: Bones of birds collected by Theodoor de Booy from Kitchen Midden deposits in the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 54(2245): 513-522. 1918 [2] Alexander Wetmore: Bird remains from the caves of Porto Rico. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 46: 297-333. 1922 [3] Storrs L. Olson: A new species of Nesotrochis from Hispaniola, with notes on other fossil rails from the West Indies (Aves: Rallidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 87(38): 439-450. 1974 [4] Jessica A. Oswald; Ryan S. Terrill; Brian J. Stucky; Michelle J. LeFebvre; David W. Steadman; Robert P. Guralnick: Supplementary material from “Ancient DNA from the extinct Haitian cave-rail (Nesotrochis steganinos) suggests a biogeographic connection between the Caribbean and Old World”. Biological Letters 17(3). 2021
The Lost Sunflower is an enigmatic species only known from a single specimen that was collected in 1851 in Cibola County in western New Mexico, USA.
The species was superficially quite similar to the Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), from which it differed by its rather narrow linear leaves; it was annual, reached a size of about 90 cm and had a single large flower with yellow florets.
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The Lost Sunflower may be an extinct species, however, there is the possibility that it might turn out to be identical with the Pecos Sunflower (Helianthus paradoxus Heiser), itself an endangered species.
The Piglet Amastra Snail was described in 1911, it was apparently restricted to the Mokuleia Valley in the northernmost part of the Wai’anae Mountains on the island of O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.
… from the original description.:
“A this shell of unusually swollen shape. In contour it is not unlike some of the small, subglobose individuals of A. tristis, such as occur in Moanalua, but it differs by lacking a dark deciduous outer layer of cuticle and in the sculpture of the embryonic whorls, so that the relationship cannot be thought close. its relationships are not clear to us. No other described oahu shell resembles it.”
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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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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 21: Achatinellidae (Amastrinae). 1911′
The Pahranagat Spinedace was described in 1960; the species is known from the outflows of The Ash Spring in the Pahranagat Valley in Nevada, USA, it preferred moderately swift, clear water.
The species was last recorded in 1938 and is now considered extinct; it disappeared most likely due to competition with- and predation by introduced fish- and frog species.
The Furrowed Newcombia Snail was described in 1857, like most of its congeners, it was endemic to the island of Moloka’i, Hawaiian Islands.
The shells reached sizes of 1,1 cm in heigth.
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“This species can be confused with no other. the whorls are regularely, obsoletely, transversely striate, increasing in strength to the last whorls and disappear on the lower half of the last whorl. the color is red-brown, becoming more intense with the increase of the whorls, and on the last whorl it is quite shining dark red-brown.” [1]
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References:
[1] George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914
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Depiction from: ‘George W. Tryon; Henry A. Pilsbry; a.o.: Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Vol 22: Achatinellidae. 1912-1914′
The West Virginia Blackberry was described in 1953, as it name implies, it is only found in West Virginia, USA, where it is known from five counties, however all reports are historic with the latest one dating from 1957.
The West Virginia Blackberry thus might be extinct.
However, this species is not recognized by all botanists and is sometimes considered a synonym of the Allegheny Blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis (Porter) Porter) (see photo).
