Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Amastra spirizona (Amastra spirizona), recorded as Critically Endangered
Amastra spirizona (Amastra spirizona). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Amastra spirizona

Amastra spirizona

Amastra spirizona is a land snail in the family Amastridae (order Stylommatophora), recorded as Critically Endangered.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Amastra spirizona
Taxonomy
Gastropoda · Stylommatophora · Amastridae · Amastra

Appearance

The length of the shell of Amastra spirizona attains 18 mm. The shell is conical in shape, opaque, and sculptured with fine ridges. Within the shell is a small body with elongated eyes and a rough outer texture.

Range and habitat

Amastra spirizona is endemic to Hawaii. It can be found in trees, specifically ekaha ferns (Asplenium nidus) and ōpuhe leaves (Touchardia sandwicensis) in the Waianae mountain range on the island of Oahu.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Diet

Snails move on a single foot and feed with a rasping tongue. Island and spring species rarely recolonise once the site is emptied.

In crisis

Precisely thirty snails were captured to stop the population from further declining in 2015. This species is preyed on by animals, that includes rats, cannibal snails, and chameleons, but is not considered federally or state endangered. The Snail Extinction Prevention Program (SEPP) released around 1200 snails, among them Amastra spirizona, into a predator-free enclosure that they keep well-maintained.

Amastra spirizona is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Amastra spirizona, Wikidata item Q306947. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Amastra rubens (Amastra rubens), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Amastra rubens

Amastra rubens
Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii

Quick answers

What is Amastra spirizona?
Amastra spirizona is a land snail in the family Amastridae (order Stylommatophora).
What is the conservation status of Amastra spirizona?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Amastra spirizona. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Amastra spirizona live?
It can be found in trees, specifically ekaha ferns (Asplenium nidus) and ōpuhe leaves (Touchardia sandwicensis) in the Waianae mountain range on the island of Oahu.
Why is Amastra spirizona in crisis?
Precisely thirty snails were captured to stop the population from further declining in 2015.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Amastra spirizona?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Amastra spirizona a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.