''Amastra variegata'' is a terrestrial snail species belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Amastridae Amastridae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of small, air-breathing, land snails, Terrestrial animal, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Pupilloidea.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Amast ...

Description

The shell of ''Amastra variegata'' is reddish-brown with darker

variegated '' Cryptocarya williwilliana'' showing leaf venation and variegated leaves Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the foliage, flowers, and sometimes the stems and fruit of plants, granting a speckled, striped, or patch ...

bands, hence the specific epithet "variegata". Its body is translucent brown.

Distribution and habitat

''Amastra variegata'' is endemic to

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

, Hawaii, found in the Wai‘anae Mountains. It was believed to be extinct until recently, when a population was rediscovered at the bottom of a steep gulch in northern Wai'anae. This species is also one of the rarest mollusks in the world.

Threats

Though this species is not federally or state listed as endangered but it is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN red list. It is vulnerable and susceptible to predation by

rats Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...

and

chameleons Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colours, be ...

Diet

''Amastra variegata'' is a detritivore, feeding on dead and decaying native plants.

References

* variegata Endemic molluscs of Hawaii Gastropods described in 1849 {{snail-stub