| Achatinella apexfulva | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| General information | |||
| Universe | Real Life | ||
| Classification | Achatinella apexfulva | ||
| Intelligence | Non-sapient | ||
| Biochemistry | Carbon-based lifeform | ||
| Discovered | 1789 | ||
| Discoverer | George Dixon | ||
| Biological information | |||
| Lifespan | 14 years | ||
| Reproduction | Sexual; lay eggs | ||
| Locomotion | Sliding movement upon muscled foot | ||
| Feeding behavior | Algae and mold | ||
| Predators | Jackson's Chameleon, Rats, Rosy Wolfsnail | ||
| Lineage information | |||
| Related species | Achatinella cestus, Achatinella concavospira, †Achatinella decora, Achatinella leucorraphe, Achatinella lorata, Achatinella mustelina, Achatinella swiftii, Achatinella turgida, †Achatinella valida, Achatinella vittata | ||
| Cultural information | |||
| Alignment | True Neutral | ||
| Sociocultral characteristics | |||
| Members | George, the last remaining member | ||
| Scientific taxonomy | |||
| Planet | Earth | ||
| Domain | Eukaryota | ||
| Kingdom | Animalia | ||
| Phylum | Mollusca | ||
| Class | Gastropoda | ||
| Subclass | Heterobranchia (Different-gilled Snails) | ||
| Infraclass | Euthyneura | ||
| Superorder | Panpulmonata | ||
| Order | Eupulmonata | ||
| Suborder | Stylommatophora | ||
| Infraorder | Sigmurethra | ||
| Superfamily | Achatinoidea | ||
| Family | Achatinellidae | ||
| Genus | Achatinella (Oʻahu tree snails) | ||
| Subgenus | Achatinella | ||
| Species | apexfulva | ||
| Other information | |||
| Status | Extinct | ||
| First sighting | 1789 | ||
| Last sighting | 2019 | ||
The Achatinella apexfulva were a species of colorful, subtropical arboreal land snail endemic to O'ahu, Hawai'i. While they lived on the leaves of local trees, they were not herbivorous; instead, they subsisted upon algae and mold.
It was the type species of the genus Achatinella, also known as the O'ahu Tree Snails.
Etymology[]
The specific name, apexfulva, meaning "yellow-tipped", referred to the yellow tip of the snail's shell.
Decline and extinction[]
The species was listed as federally endangered in 1981 after population decline due to several factors, such as predation by the invasive Rosy Wolfsnail (which is known to have caused 8 other Hawai'ian snail extinctions since its introduction to the island archipelago in the 1950s), habitat loss due to deforestation, and the introduction of both rats and Jackson's Chameleon. By 1996 it was considered to be critically endangered.
In 1997, humans attempted to stop their rapidly declining populations by collecting all known remaining specimens from the wild to breed them in captivity. Unfortunately this was highly unsuccessful and all but one of the offspring died due to unknown causes. This solitary survivor, named George after Lonesome George, the last of the Pinta Island Tortoises, was the last known survivor of the entire species by 2011. He subsequently died on New Years day, 2019, reportedly bringing the species to complete extinction.