african vlei rats ( otomys ) , also known as groove-toothed rats , live in many areas of sub-saharan africa .

most species live in marshlands , grasslands , and similar habitats and feed on the vegetation of such areas , occasionally supplementing it with roots and seeds .

the name " vlei " refers to the south african term for intermittent , seasonal , or perennial bodies of standing water .

otomys are compact rodents with a tendency to shorter faces and legs than other types of rats .

the tails also are shorter than most muridae , typically between one third and two thirds of the body length .

the coat colour varies according to species , but generally they have the typical agouti brown-to-grey coats typical of mice and other small wild rodents .

species living in warm or temperate regions tend to have unusually large ears for murids ( e.g. otomys irroratus ) , whereas some of the alpine species , such as otomys sloggetti have markedly smaller ears .

( however , the latter species may no longer belong in the genus otomys ) .

depending on the species adult otomys have a body length between 12 and 22 cm ( 5 – 9 inches ) and weigh 90 to 260 grams ( 3 – 9 oz ) .

otomys

although otomys sloggetti is considered to be defined by primitive dental characters , its position on the phylogeny of otomyinae remains unresolved ( taylor et al . 2004 ) .
a minute with oliver tanner | meet o . t . - the newest addition to the otomys stable . watch the rendering of bronze into forms that seem to defy the nature of the material itself ! continue reading about o . t . via chronicles [ link in bio . ] expressions of interest for oliver tanners work may be sent to studio @ otomys . com .
simone haag ' s energy and eye is hard to compete with ! it is a total joy to work with the simone haag team . thank you for featuring otomys as a favourite spot to browse and buy in july ' s real living !
comments : whereas bohmann ( 1952 ) included all otomyine species in otomys , most systematists have accorded the large - bullar forms separate generic status as parotomys ( see below ) , and we follow thomas ( 1918b ) in recognizing myotomys as genus ( see subfamily remarks ) . roberts ( 1951 ) also treated lamotomys as generically distinct , but cladistic interpretation of allozymic and immunologcial data , albeit limited to few species so far , clearly affiliate its type species laminatus with other otomys ( contrafa . . .
whereas bohmann ( 1952 ) included all otomyine species in otomys , most systematists have accorded the large - bullar forms separate generic status as parotomys ( see below ) , and we follow thomas ( 1918 b ) in recognizing myotomys as genus ( see subfamily remarks ) . roberts ( 1951 ) also treated lamotomys as generically distinct , but cladistic interpretation of allozymic and immunologcial data , albeit limited to few species so far , clearly affiliate its type species laminatus with other otomys ( contrafatto et al . , 1994 ; taylor et al . , 1989 ) . oldest known fossil otomys species date from the middle to late pliocene ( 2 - 3 . 5 million years ago ) in south africa and from early pleistocene ( 1 - 2 million years ago ) in east africa ( see denys , 1989 a ; sénégas , 2001 ; sénégas and avery , 1998 ) . synonymy of the fossil prototomys follows the observations of avery ( 1998 ) , who noted the marginal distinction of its type species , p . campbelli , from living o . saundersiae .
there are no major identified threats to the species . unlike other otomys species threatened by climate change ( taylor et al . 2016 ) , population increases in lesotho are the result of better overwintering of o . sloggetti as a consequence of warmer minimum temperatures over the past two decades ( mokotjomela et al . 2010 ) . overgrazing the vegetation by domestic livestock and o . sloggetti themselves around wetlands reduces habitat suitability . this species inhabits high - altitude areas that are unlikely to be transformed significantly . however , overgrazing may reduce habitat quality and this should be monitored . another important consideration is that the increasing population sizes contribute greatly to habitat change through vegetation loss and consequent soil erosion ( grab and deschamps 2004 ) . experimental plots erected in the sani valley to investigate the single or combined effects of o . sloggetti and domestic livestock on soil erosion and loss showed that the damage caused by o . sloggetti exceeds that of livestock ( mokotjomela et al . 2009 ) . therefore , while low temperature and prolonged snowfall are density independent regulators of o . sloggetti populations in lesotho , diminishing resources ( food and suitable nest sites ) are possible density - dependent regulators . correspondingly , an increase in population densities may accelerate soil erosion rates through their feeding and burrowing habits ( mokotjomela et al . 2009 ) .
the species richness and biogeographic diversification within otomys were grossly obscured by forcing its exceptional morphological variation into the polytypic application of the biological species concept that prevailed over the middle 1900s ( e . g . , bohmann , 1952 ; dieterlen , 1968 ; ellerman et al . , 1953 ; misonne , 1974 ; petter , 1982 ) . deconstructing these polyphyletic accretions into diagnosable , genetically homogeneous species is much progressed in southern africa ( see taylor and kumirai , 2001 , for overview ) and selectively in other areas ( e . g . , dieterlen and van der straeten , 1992 ) . as we noted in 1993 , the occurrence of greater specific endemism throughout the isolated east african highlands and volcanoes deserves more serious consideration than it has received to date . persuant to such revisionary attention , the early syntheses of wroughton ( 1906 ) , dollman ( 1915 ) , and hollister ( 1919 ) offer a sounder foundation from which to address questions of specific status and distribution in the east african region . such investigations should emphasize comparisons both among mountain ranges and along their slopes , drawing upon topotypic examples to explicitly address taxonomic and biogeographic problems at issue . in particular , the possibility of multiple independent originations ( speciation ) of otomyines in afro - alpine environments on east african mountain tops should be the working hypothesis to be disproven .
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wet 4 by chris warnes featured within penthaus by biasold design . this space encapsulates a sense of modern living , rich in character , with detail , quality and precision . architect kennedy nolan . photographed by james morgan .
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thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on the iucn red list of threatened species website , we are grateful for your input .
this high - altitude endemic is listed as least concern because it has a relatively wide distribution within the assessment region , occurs in several protected areas , including the maloti - drakensberg transfrontier conservation area , and because it generally occurs in inaccessible habitats unlikely to be transformed . there are no known threats that could cause rapid population decline . climate change is not suspected to be an emerging threat . conversely , density has been estimated to have increased threefold in the lesotho drakensberg between 1994 and 2006 possibly due to warmer temperatures . thus , we list as least concern . however , continuing habitat degradation from overgrazing , as well as any other identified minor threats , must be monitored .
sloggett ' s vlei rat is found at high elevations ( > 2 , 000 m ) in the drakensberg mountains of the eastern cape and kwazulu - natal provinces of south africa as well as lesotho ( lynch 1994 , monadjem et al . 2015 ) , with isolated subpopulations from mountains in the karoo , such as in the sneeuberg mountain complex ( kok et al . 2012 ) , or in dry , semi - desert habitats around inselbergs and mountain ranges at > 1 , 500 m asl . in the drakensberg range , o . angoniensis occurs on the lower slopes in savannah habitats , o . auratus and o . laminatus at mid - elevation in grasslands and o . sloggetti at the highest elevations in alpine heath habitats ( monadjem et al . 2015 ) .
there have been estimates of the population at over 100 individuals / ha in suitable rocky habitats ( willan 1990 ) . in lesotho , they are common in the higher areas and may be increasing . a field survey study in 2006 at three localities separated by 70 , 80 and 130 km in the north - eastern lesotho drakensberg ( sani valley , oxbow motete valley and katse dam ) revealed an increase in maximum densities from 110 to 342 animals / hectare between 1992 and 2006 in oxbow and from 100 to 319 animals / hectare between 2004 and 2006 in sani valley ( mokotjomela et al . 2010 ) . katse dam had low numbers of sloggett’s vlei rat , possibly due to competition with o . irroratus and / or habitat loss from human settlement expansion ( mokotjomela et al . 2010 ) . overall , the population increase is possibly due to warming temperatures in the region that reduce winter die - off and increase habitat productivity .
occurs in montane grasslands on xeric or mesic soils , either dry or wet typically amidst piles of loose stones or boulders , both natural and man - made ( for example , stone walls ) . it does not occur in modified habitats , but will sometimes nest in crevices in rock foundations of roads ( willan 1990 ) . they are diurnal and feed on stems , leaves and floral parts of green plants . in the sani valley , o . sloggetti feeds on wetland grasses , sedges and herbaceous vegetation but avoid helichrysum spp . ( schwaibold and pillay 2010 ) .
it lives in colonies consisting of at least 4 - 16 individuals and the breeding season occurs between october and march ( hinze 2005 ) . for example , in the sani valley , o . sloggettii lives in mixed - sex colonies of up to 17 individuals ( hinze et al . 2013 ) , which construct an intricate underground burrow system in organic and mineral soils ( hinze et al . 2006 ) . plants taken below ground are used for nesting and there is no evidence of food hoarding ( hinze et al . 2006 ) . suitable wetland sites in the sani valley are home to several colonies and competition for preferred food plants leads to solitary feeding and avoidance between individuals of the same and different colonies ( hinze et al . 2013 ) . rocky surfaces and boggy soil limits dispersal ( mokotjomela et al . 2010 ) .
it may be an important prey species for predators occurring at high - altitudes . their extensive burrow systems s contributes to soil turnover and aeration . however , when burrows collapse , the resulting gullies alter water flow , contributing to erosion ( grab and deschamps 2004 ) .
there is anecdotal information of herdsman in lesotho hunting o . sloggetti . however , this threat remains to be quantified .
it occurs in many protected areas across its range such as the maloti - drakensberg transfrontier conservation area ( monadjem et al . 2015 ) and mountain zebra national park ( kok et al . 2012 ) . although no specific interventions are necessary at present , wetland conservation and restoration is likely to benefit this species . recommendations for land managers and practitioners :
land managers should maintain a vegetation buffer around wetlands to reduce impacts of land - use practices .
land managers should practice holistic management of ranchlands , including de - stocking and rotational grazing .
further long - term , systematic monitoring is needed to establish subpopulation trends and threat levels .
report sightings on virtual museum platforms ( for example , ispot and mammalmap ) , especially outside protected areas .
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musser , guy g . , and michael d . carleton / wilson , don e . , and deeann m . reeder , eds .
mammal species of the world : a taxonomic and geographic reference , 3rd ed . , vol . 2
mammal species of the world : a taxonomic and geographic reference , 2nd ed . , 3rd printing
with contributions by bernadette n . graham , adam p . potter , and mariana m . upmeyer
disclaimer : itis taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available , and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties . however , it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes . while every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up - to - date information available , ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the united states is a party , wildlife statutes , regulations , and any applicable notices that have been published in the federal register . for further information on u . s . legal requirements with respect to protected taxa , please contact the u . s . fish and wildlife service .
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department of biology , university of natal , king george v ave , durban , 4001 , south africa .
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the forest tuco-tuco ( ctenomys sylvanus ) is a species of rodent in the family ctenomyidae .

it is endemic to salta and southeast jujuy provinces in northwest argentina .

forest tuco - tuco

lami tuco - tuco - ctenomys lami the lami tuco - tuco is found in brazil . source : arkive intended audience : general reading level : middle school teacher section : yes
southern tuco - tuco - ctenomys australis the southern tuco - tuco is found in argentina . source : arkive intended audience : general reading level : middle school teacher section : yes
social tuco - tuco - ctenomys sociabilis the social tuco - tuco is found in argentina . source : animal diversity web intended audience : general reading level : middle school teacher section : yes
tiny tuco - tuco - ctenomys minutus the tiny tuco - tuco is found in bolivia and brazil . source : arkive intended audience : general reading level : middle school teacher section : yes
talas tuco - tuco - ctenomys talarum the talas tuco - tuco is found in eastern argentina . source : animal diversity web intended audience : general reading level : middle school teacher section : yes
porteous ' s tuco - tuco - ctenomys porteousi porteous ' s tuco - tuco is found in eastern argentina . source : arkive intended audience : general reading level : middle school teacher section : yes
rio negro tuco - tuco - ctenomys rionegrensis the rio negro tuco - tuco is found in argentina and uruguay . source : arkive intended audience : general reading level : middle school teacher section : yes
tawny tuco - tuco - ctenomys fulvus the tawny tuco - tuco is found in argentina and chile . source : animal diversity web intended audience : general reading level : middle school teacher section : yes
pearson ' s tuco - tuco - ctenomys pearsoni pearson ' s tuco - tuco is found in uruguay . source : animal diversity web intended audience : general reading level : middle school teacher section : yes
haig ' s tuco - tuco - ctenomys haigi haig ' s tuco - tuco is found in southwestern argentina . source : animal diversity web intended audience : general reading level : middle school teacher section : yes
the forest tuco - tuco is listed as least concern ( lr / lc ) , lowest risk . does not qualify for a more at risk category . widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category , on the iucn red list of threatened species
conover ' s tuco - tuco - ctenomys conoveri conover ' s tuco - tuco is found in bolivia and paraguay . source : animal diversity web intended audience : general reading level : middle school teacher section : yes
rio negro tuco - tuco - ctenomys rionegrensis the rio negro tuco - tuco is found in sand dunes and areas with sandy soils . source : animal diversity web intended audience : general reading level : middle school teacher section : yes
found primarily in the southern half of south america , tuco - tucos have a geographic range that extends from southern peru and eastern brazil southward to tierra del fuego . they live at elevations ranging from sea level to about 4 , 000 metres ( 13 , 000 feet ) in a variety of natural habitats , including altiplano , tropical forest , and grasslands . tuco - tucos also live in man - made habitats such as pastures , agricultural fields , and vacant city lots .
tuco - tucos are members of the degu family ( octodontidae ) , although they are sometimes classified in their own family ( ctenomyidae ) . the remarkable array of species is likely due to the sedentary nature of tuco - tucos , which , combined with their burrowing behaviour , results in isolated populations—a condition associated with rapid speciation . all living species appear to have evolved very quickly and recently during the pleistocene epoch ( 2 , 600 , 000 to 11 , 700 years ago ) .
that include chambers for nesting and for storage of roots , stems , and grasses . usually active in early morning and late afternoon , these sedentary rodents remain close to their burrows but will occasionally leave at night to forage . tuco - tucos breed annually and , depending upon the species , give birth to litters of one to seven well - developed young . gestation lasts from 102 to 120 days .
tuco - tucos have small eyes , tiny ears , and short muscular legs with strong claws on the digits . their stout , cylindrical bodies measure up to 25 cm ( 10 inches ) long , with a tail of up to 11 cm . the dense fur is short in some species and long in others , and it ranges in colour from solid gray through various shades of brown to almost black ; underparts are lighter .
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mammal species of the world : a taxonomic and geographic reference ( book , 2005 ) [ worldcat . org ]
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i thought you might be interested in this item at urltoken title : mammal species of the world : a taxonomic and geographic reference author : don e wilson ; deeann m reeder publisher : baltimore : johns hopkins university press , ©2005 . isbn / issn : 0801882214 9780801882210 0801882389 9780801882388 0801882397 9780801882395 oclc : 57557352
wilson and reeder ' s mammal species of the world is the classic reference book on the taxonomic classification and distribution of the more than 5400 species of mammals that exist today . the third edition includes detailed information on nomenclature and , for the first time , common names . each concise entry covers type locality , distribution , synonyms , and major reference sources . the systematic arrangement of
information indicates evolutionary relationships at both the ordinal and the family level . this indispensable reference work belongs in public and academic libraries throughout the world and on the shelf of every biologist who works with mammals .
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this indispensable reference work belongs in public and academic libraries throughout the world and on the shelf of every biologist who works with mammals .
a uniquely valuable compendium of taxonomic and distributional data on the world ' s living and historically extinct mammalian species . contributors and editors alike deserve the thanks of all
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wilson and reeder ' s mammal species of the world is the classic reference book on the taxonomic classification and distribution of the more than 5400 species of mammals that exist today . the third edition includes detailed information on nomenclature and , for the first time , common names . each concise entry covers type locality , distribution , synonyms , and major reference sources . the systematic arrangement of information indicates evolutionary relationships at both the ordinal and the family level . this indispensable reference work belongs in public and academic libraries throughout the world and on the shelf of every biologist who works with mammals .
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in both appearance and ecology . there are 48 species , although different authorities recognize from 39 to 56 . more continue to be found , reflecting the variability in size , colour , and number of
pocket gopher , ( family geomyidae ) , any of 38 species of predominantly north and central american rodents named for their large , fur - lined cheek pouches . the “pockets” open externally on each side of the mouth and extend from the face to the shoulders ; they can be everted for cleaning . the lips can be…
chromosome , the microscopic threadlike part of the cell that carries hereditary information in the form of genes . a defining feature of any chromosome is its compactness . for instance , the 46 chromosomes found in human cells have a combined length of 200 nm ( 1 nm = 10 − 9 metre ) ; if the…
burrowing , locomotion of a type found in both terrestrial and aquatic animal groups . some fossorial animals dig short permanent burrows in which they live ; others tunnel extensively and nearly continuously . in relatively soft substrates , such as soil , burrowers tend to be limbless ( lizards , snakes ) or equipped with powerful forelimbs ( moles , …
tierra del fuego , archipelago , at the southern extremity of south america . in shape the main island , separated from the mainland by the strait of magellan , is a triangle with its base on beagle channel . the total area is 28 , 473 square miles ( 73 , 746 square km ) , about two - thirds of which is chilean…
altiplano , region of southeastern peru and western bolivia . the altiplano originates northwest of lake titicaca in southern peru and extends about 600 miles ( 965 km ) southeast to the southwestern corner of bolivia . it is a series of intermontane basins lying at about 12 , 000 feet…
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dog , ( canis lupus familiaris ) , domestic mammal of the family canidae ( order carnivora ) . it is a subspecies…
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there are 60 species in this family . they are all found in central and southern south america . they have stocky bodies ; large , rounded heads ; small ears ; short necks ; long tails ; and clawed feet . they have loose skin that helps them easily move around in burrows . they are herbivores and most species live in burrows in colonies .
least concern near threatened vulnerable endangered critically endangered extinct in the wild extinct status and range is taken from icun redlist . if no status is listed , there is not enough data to establish status .
biokids is sponsored in part by the interagency education research initiative . it is a partnership of the university of michigan school of education , university of michigan museum of zoology , and the detroit public schools . this material is based upon work supported by the national science foundation under grant drl - 0628151 . copyright © 2002 - 2018 , the regents of the university of michigan . all rights reserved .


achatinella apexfulva is a functionally extinct species of colorful , tropical , arboreal pulmonate land snail in the family achatinellidae once present on oahu , hawaii .

a. apexfulva is the type species of the genus achatinella .

the specific name , apexfulva , meaning " yellow-tipped " , refers to the yellow tip of the snail 's shell .

achatinella apexfulva

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achatinella apexfulva
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achatinella apexfulva
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distribution and variation of the hawaiian tree snail achatinella apexfulva dixon in the koolau range , oahu .
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achatinella apexfulva is a species of colorful , tropical , tree - living , air - breathing , land snail , an arboreal pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family achatinellidae .
considered a subspecies of a . apexfulva by welch and cowie et al . ( 1995 : 48 ) , but a separate species by pilsbry and cooke .
achatinella bulimoides . this snail was thought to be extinct for the past 20 years until the army rediscovered it in oahu ' s ko ' olau mountains .
hart , a . d . 1979 . a survival status report on the endemic hawaiian tree snail genus achatinella ( swainson ) from oahu . unpublished report for u . s . fish and wildlife service , hawaii .
u . s . fish and wildlife service ( usfws ) . 1993 . recovery plan . oahu tree snails of the genus achatinella . u . s . department of the interior fish and wildlife service , portland , oregon . 58 pp . + 64 app .
but , amongst the many endangered snails that i encountered that day , one in particular stood out . a single snail in a terrarium all on its own . this tiny being is now thought to be all that is left of its species . despite over a decade of searching in the wild , mike and the others have been unable to locate any more ( achatinella apexfulva ) . when this snail dies , a whole evolutionary lineage will pass from the world with it . standing in its presence , i felt the weight of a collective failure in which all of us , to a greater or lesser extent , are complicit . but i was also reminded of how incredibly ill equipped ‘we’ – at least many of us – are by our own cultures to make sense of the immensity of the loss that is extinction .
unfortunately , it is not just snails and the ‘alala that are at risk of extinction on the islands . of the 113 bird species that lived exclusively in hawai’i prior to human settlement , 71 have now been lost . this means that roughly two - thirds of hawaii’s endemic bird diversity is already gone . tragically , of the 42 species that remain , 31 are federally listed under the endangered species act ( leonard ) . many other groups of plants and animals in hawai’i are in a similar state . while some of hawaii’s snails now hang on in mike’s ark , they are a tiny fraction of the islands’ original diversity , with an estimated 75 % of the more that 700 named species already having been lost ( cowie ) . of the 43 species in the particular genus of snails on o’ahu that mike’s work focuses on ( achatinella ) , only ten remain – their whole genus is federally listed as endangered .
as i stood in the presence of this individual , the last of a species , i was reminded of how incredibly ill equipped we are as a culture to make sense of the immensity of the loss that is extinction .
i spent last tuesday afternoon with professor mike hadfield , a biologist at the university of hawai’i . mike is a man passionate about biology – about living things and their conservation , but also about research to better understand life itself : the complex entanglements and interactions that make reproduction and other fundamental developmental processes possible at all .
most of mike’s research takes place at the university’s kewalo marine laboratory , and is focused on tube worms and a range of other small – and to many of us , unremarkable – invertebrate creatures ( at least from the dominant and pervasive perspective that values those with “fur and feathers” above all else ) . but mike’s work extends beyond this marine lab . among the many creatures that he cares about and for are a diverse array of terrestrial snails . in a single room , tucked away on the university’s main manoa campus on the outskirts of honolulu , mike and a small group of staff and students have set up a ‘snail ark’ – a home outside of the forests for some of hawaii’s many highly endangered species of tree snails .
the ark is not a particularly fancy affair . it is comprised of about six ‘environmental chambers’ that look just like refrigerators . these units allow staff to control daily temperature and light cycles to provide ideal conditions for their slimy inhabitants . inside each unit are a whole lot of small terrariums – like the kind you might keep a pet fish or rat in at home . in this case , however , the units have been filled with the o’hia and other local vegetation that these snails would ordinarily live amongst , and fitted out with a simple hose and sprinkler system that produces a short period of ‘rain’ every eight hours .
amongst the many things that i learnt chatting with mike was the fact that these snails don’t actually eat the leaves themselves . rather , what they eat is an invisible layer of molds and algae that they scrape off the top of these leaves . in order to ensure that their captive snails have a good , balanced , diet , mike and his team developed a method of culturing one of these molds on agar to produce little ‘cakes’ that can be used to supplement their diets .
in addition to the daily maintenance of the facility , every two weeks each of the terrariums is taken out , its inhabitants carefully counted , and the whole unit disinfected . all in all , keeping snails alive and thriving in a captive ark like this one is hard work , requiring dedicated daily care and an ongoing curiosity about how to make their conditions , and indeed their lives , better . ( donna haraway , the mutual friend that put me in contact with mike , has written elsewhere about the careful practices that underlie work in this snail program ( haraway ) . )
the answer to this question is an all too familiar one . as with most captive breeding programs , this one is guided by a committed effort to hold species at the edge of extinction in the world a little longer . in fact , i was primarily in hawai’i to conduct research on another species being conserved in captivity . since around 2002 , the ‘alala , or hawaiian crow , has been extinct in the wild . the remaining birds now live their lives in captivity , a breeding population producing birds that will one day , hopefully , be able to return to the wider world .
in short , hawai’i is now clearly one of the ‘extinction capitals’ of the world . and yet , neither the public awareness nor the funding to begin to address this situation has been forthcoming .
while conservation in general is often poorly funded , hawai’i really is in a league of its own . despite having a huge proportion of the us’s federally listed endangered species , the state receives a tiny percentage of the relevant funding . without the political or economic clout to change this situation , hawaii’s vanishing species remain largely invisible ( leonard ; restani and marzluff ) .
for example , a study on recent federal and state funding for bird conservation found that while around a third of the usa’s endangered birds are from hawai’i , in total these species received only around 4 % of the funding . this means that the average endangered bird on the mainland is receiving over 15 times the funding of the average hawaiian bird ( leonard ) . it also means that if you happen to be an endangered bird in hawai’i – or a snail , a plant , or any other species really – you’re pretty much out of luck .
and so , slowly , silently , a whole range of endemic species – including many that are yet to be documented – are slipping away .
the invisibility of the ‘extinction crisis’ unfolding in hawai’i is perhaps , sadly , to be expected . the day before visiting mike i spent the morning at the honolulu zoo . hoping to see , or at least hear about , some of hawaii’s endemic and endangered species , i was greatly disappointed . in a sea of exotic animals , i counted two hawaiian locals – the nene ( hawaiian goose ) and the ‘io ( hawaiian hawk ) . where were the other hawaiian birds , or even some snails ? even the endemic plants were far outnumbered by those from other places . while i accept that it might be hard to keep hawaiian forest birds in captivity – in large part because avian malaria spread by introduced mosquitoes is decimating many of them – i don’t understand why visitors to the zoo aren’t told about this . if the birds themselves can’t be present , surely visitors can at least be told why they’re not , and in the process made a little more informed about them and their plight ?
instead , visitors to the gift shop are greeted by row after row of stuffed tigers , lions , and bears . within the zoo they can read about the conservation crisis in borneo . but hawaii’s threatened flora and fauna are , even here in the honolulu zoo , largely invisible .
i mention this situation not to pick on the zoo , but because it is symptomatic of the wider lack of interest and information about local extinction and conservation issues in the islands .
but , tiny birds , tiny snails , living in what are now often tiny and remote patches of forest , need to be made visible in some way if they are to survive .
back in the snail ark at the university of hawai’i , work is being done to better understand the causes of the decline of some of these endemic species . in the case of snails , the situation is now pretty well understood . in little over a thousand years these species went from having no significant predators at all , into an environment with numerous overlapping threats . first of all came the rats – introduced by polynesian peoples , but then supplemented with additional species by later european explorers and settlers . rats can eat a huge number of snails when they put their minds to it , and they have done just that in hawai’i . in addition to these key predators , over the years hawaii’s endemic tree snails have also had to cope with massive losses of native forest habitat and the introduction of other significant predators – like jacksons chameleons and a species of larger carnivorous snail .
as a philosopher whose research and writing focuses primarily on death and extinction , i have spent a lot of time reflecting on these topics : exploring what extinction means , how diverse lives are drawn into the fray , what obligations we might have to hold open space in the world for other forms of life . in addition to reading , thinking and talking to people on these topics , i have also spent time with many animals whose lives are lived at the edge of extinction . i’ve fed ‘alala and walked amongst whopping cranes , i’ve sat with endangered albatross who are tending to their eggs . to some extent , my work has begun to feel like a journey along the edge of extinction ; an ongoing act of witnessing in an effort to at least acknowledge some of what is occurring in this time of incredible loss that some biologists are now calling the sixth ‘mass extinction event’ in earth’s history .
and yet , in the presence of this singular individual i found myself unable to make any real sense of the situation . i tried to think about the millions of years of evolutionary history , the countless generations of living beings , that have been required to produce a species that now finds its singular expression in this one , fragile , organism . i tried also to imagine all those generations that might have been . were it not for the presence of rats , humans and others , in the fullness of time this species may even have evolved into something distinct from its current form – as darwin and others taught us , species are always becoming more than themselves , always becoming other than they are . except , of course , those like this one whose entire future is now captured within the life of a singular individual .
in my own work i have tried to bring philosophy into conversation with evolutionary theory , biology and ethology ( the science of animal behavior ) , along with ethnographic work with communities who are bound up in one way or another with disappearing species . in so doing , i have tried to make a little more sense of the significance of what it is we do when we drive others over the edge of extinction . but how can we really make sense of such a wanton act ? ultimately , i cannot claim to have stumbled across any absolute answers – in fact , the more time i spend working in this area the more i realize that every extinction is utterly unique ; each its own slow unraveling of a delicate tissue of living beings and their ways of life .
and so , what is ultimately needed in hawai’i is decisive conservation action . but as societies we also need to take the time to reflect a bit more deeply on the diverse fabric of our living world and our place in it . too many species disappear quietly in nondescript little rooms on university campuses or in captive breeding facilities . too many others are heading in that direction in dwindling forests around hawai’i and elsewhere .
standing in the presence of a single tiny snail , i was reminded that much work remains to be done to make these disappearing individuals and their vanishing species more visible ; to draw these precious and precarious ‘ways of life’ into the spotlight and begin to insist that they matter , and that we have an obligation to hold open space for them in our shared world .
added 6 june 2018 : another short article by me on the snails and practices of caring for the future is available here .
references cowie , r . h . , n . l . evenhuis & c . c . christensen . 1995 . catalog of the native land and freshwater molluscs of the hawaiian islands . backhuys publishers , leiden
haraway , d . 2008 when species meet . university of minnesota press , minneapolis ( chapter three )
leonard , d . l . 2008 . “recovery expenditures for birds listed under the us endangered species act : the disparity between mainland and hawaiian taxa . ” biological conservation vol . 141 , pp . 2054–2061
restani , m . and marzluff , j . m . 2002 . “funding extinction ? biological needs and political realities in the allocation of resources to endangered species recovery” bioscience , vol . 52 , 2 , pp . 169 - 177
this was sad , informative , thoughtful – and one of the best quality posts i’ve read . thank you for writing about this –
sadly , yes . take a look at this paper : holland , brenden s . , steven l . montgomery , and vincent costello . “a reptilian smoking gun : first record of invasive jackson’s chameleon ( chamaeleo jacksonii ) predation on native hawaiian species . ” biodiversity and conservation 19 . 5 ( 2010 ) : 1437 - 1441 .
pingback : week fifteen / nov . 29 : anthropogenic change – accept or act ? | hist 436 : world environmental history
i’m an associate professor and an australian research council ( arc ) future fellow ( 2017 - 2021 ) at the university of sydney , australia . i’m also co - editor of the international , open - access journal environmental humanities ( duke university press ) .
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cowie , r . h . , n . l . evenhuis , c . c . christensen . 1995b . catalog of the native land and freshwater molluscs of the hawaiian islands . backhuys publishers : leiden , the netherlands . 248 pp .
g1s1 . 1 . only five current ( since 1979 ) occurrences are known . it was recently collected in small numbers from eastern o ' ahu in the ko ' olau mountains for a phylogenetic study .
due to latency between updates made in state , provincial or other natureserve network databases and when they appear on natureserve explorer , for state or provincial information you may wish to contact the data steward in your jurisdiction to obtain the most current data . please refer to
historically this species was found from kaukinehua ridge to beyond opaeula on the leeward side of the koolau mountains . current locations have been on the poamoho trail . it was recently collected in small numbers ( 2 specimens ) from eastern o ' ahu in the ko ' olau mountains for a phylogenetic study ( holland and hadfield , 2004 ) .
14 post - 1945 occurrence including 5 current ( between 1979 and 1993 ) and 9 historical ( between 1952 and 1976 ) . it was recently collected in small numbers ( 2 specimens ) from eastern o ' ahu in the ko ' olau mountains for a phylogenetic study ( holland and hadfield , 2004 ) .
this species is rarely detected . the last confirmed detection was in 1993 ; and in 1985 on the poamoho trail and 1979 on the peahinaia trail ( usfws , 1993 ) .
all available measures should be taken to protect the species if the species is still extant .
( < 100 square km ( less than about 40 square miles ) ) historically this species was found from kaukinehua ridge to beyond opaeula on the leeward side of the koolau mountains . current locations have been on the poamoho trail . it was recently collected in small numbers ( 2 specimens ) from eastern o ' ahu in the ko ' olau mountains for a phylogenetic study ( holland and hadfield , 2004 ) .
any research into this species ' biology is justified since very little is now known .
occurrences are based on some evidence of historical or current presence of single or multiple specimens , including live specimens or recently dead shells ( i . e . , soft tissue still attached without signs of external weathering or staining ) , at a given location with potentially recurring existence . weathered shells constitute a historic occurrence . evidence is derived from reliable published observation or collection data ; unpublished , though documented ( i . e . government or agency reports , web sites , etc . ) observation or collection data ; or museum specimen information .
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caum , e . l . 1974 . check list of hawaiian land and fresh water mollusca . bulletin of the bernice p . bishop museum , honolulu , 56 : 1 - 80 .
holland , b . s . and m . g . hadfield . 2004 . origin and diversification of the endemic hawaiian tree snails ( achatinellidae : achatinellinae ) based on molecular evidence . molecular phylogenetics and evolution 32 : 588 - 600 .
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the one and only member of a species of land snail that called the hawaiian island of oahu home now lives quietly in the conservation lab of the university of hawaii . nine years old , the snail has not reproduced and scientists don ' t know if it ever will .
, a grayish - white tree snail once abundant on the island of oahu is a sad symbol of just how ill - equipped we humans really are in the face of the loss of a species .
in a single room on the university’s main manoa campus on the outskirts of honolulu . the ark is composed of six environmental chambers , looking like large refrigerators . it is in here that staff are able to control temperature , light and humidity around the clock .
once every two weeks the slimy inhabitants are taken out of their individual homes and the terrariums are sterilized . the snails require local vegetation and their special diet of matt fungi that grows on the bark and leaves of the native trees . there is even a hose and sprinkler system to provide a little
rainfall
every eight hours .
tree snails are hermaphrodites , having both male and female reproductive organs , and usually , produce one to four offspring a year after reaching maturity . the baby snails are born live with their tiny shells intact . most oahu tree snails will attach to the leaves of one tree and stay on that tree for the rest of their lives , which can a long time .
hawaii is sometimes called the
extinction capital of the world ,
and with good reason . a
found that most of the forest birds native to the island of kauai have reached that dangerous tipping point that means we will be seeing multiple extinctions in the next few decades .
at one time , about 750 species of terrestrial snails used to flourish in hawaii , with most of them sporting colorful ringed shells about 2 . 0 centimeters ( 0 . 787 inches ) long . now , we may be lucky to find 45 to 50 species . “all are rapidly plunging to extinction . they will be gone in five to 10 years , ” says melissa price at the university of hawaii , according to
the u . s . fish and wildlife service lists 1539 species of flora and fauna endemic to the united states that are endangered and threatened with extinction . fully one - third of those species are found in hawaii , including the monk seal , the hoary bat , many bird species and oahu ' s tree snails .
o ' ahu tree snail shells collected ca . 1933 at an elevation of 1500 feet on waialae ridge in honolulu , hawaii , waialae country club .
surprisingly , if you thought of climate change as being a major factor , you would be wrong , but it is man that has led to the demise of the terrestrial snails . one reason is the greed of collectors , with the best example being john thomas gulick , a 19th - century rival of charles darwin , who himself took over 44 , 000 snails for his personal collection .
the addition of invasive species is also on the list of reasons for the extinction of the snails . polynesian settlers brought their rats along with them 1 , 000 years ago , and later , in the 1800s , the europeans brought their rats , too . and rats love to eat snails .
, being carnivorous wasn ' t discriminating in what it ate and within one year of its introduction , many of the indigenous oahu tree snails were hunted to extinction .
the land - snail , euglandina rosea , at the mounds park , tallahassee fl . these land snails were brought into hawaii to combat the african land snail that was eating plants , but they ate the oahu tree snails .
“hawaii is very underfunded for conservation , ” says david sischo , hawaii’s snail extinction prevention program coordinator . “it gets a small proportion of funds and much of the money goes to large charismatic species like seabirds and monk seals , not slimy invertebrates . ”
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endangered and threatened wildlife and plants ; designations of critical habitat for plant species from the island of oahu , hi : proposed rule ; reopening of comment period , and public hearing announcement .
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. in april 2011 it was reported that the species had been reduced to a single , captive , individual .
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responsibility by d ' alté a . welch . imprint washington , smithsonian institution , 1942 . physical description 1 p . l . , 236 p . illus . ( maps ) 12 plates on 6 l . 25 cm . series publication 3684 smithsonian miscellaneous collections v . 103 , no . 1 .
author / creator welch , d ' alté a . ( d ' alté aldridge ) , 1907 - 1970 .
publication date 1942 series smithsonian miscellaneous collections , v . 103 , no . 1
no recent occurrences . the two post - 1945 occurrences are in areas now occupied by the cannibal snail , euglandina . extinct ( hawaii biological survey web site http : / hbs . bishopmuseum . org / endangered / ext - snails . html , updated 9 february 1997 ) . last seen 1953 .
two post - 1945 occurrences , both historical ( 1953 & 1960 ) . extinct ( hawaii biological survey web site http : / hbs . bishopmuseum . org / endangered / ext - snails . html , updated 9 february 1997 ) .
( < 100 - 250 square km ( less than about 40 - 100 square miles ) ) historical range from kalihi to nuuanu valleys , a distance of three miles .
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cauchas cyanella is a moth of the family adelidae or fairy longhorn moths .

it was described by august busck in 1915 .

it is found in north america , including ohio .

cauchas cyanella

home » guide » arthropods ( arthropoda ) » hexapods ( hexapoda ) » insects ( insecta ) » butterflies and moths ( lepidoptera ) » fairy moths and kin ( adeloidea ) » fairy moths ( adelidae ) » adelinae » cauchas » cauchas dietziella sp . grp . - hodges # 0212 ( cauchas dietziella )
incurvaria cyanella busck , 1915 ; proc . ent . soc . wash . 17 ( 2 ) : 92
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chalceopla discalis braun , 1925 ; trans . am . ent . soc . 51 ( 3 ) : 223 ; tl : logan canyon
[ ² ] this may require parentheses or not . i don ' t have the necessary information for this taxon .
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groton , middlesex county , massachusetts , usa may 16 , 2009 size : 4 . 4mm
it looks similar in shape and size to the eriocrania semipurpurella i recently posted , but definitely a different species .
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