Aaadonta kinlochi

[Deleted]

Aaadonta kinlochi

Aaadonta kinlochi, a snail from the family Endodontidae was rediscovered in 2005.

see here:

www.palau.biodiv-chm.org/upload/BelauLandSnailsRundell.pdf

[surroundx]

This species was originally known only from Angaur (Ngeaur) in Palau, where 173 specimens were collected at a single locality in 1936 by Y. Kondo and K. Kondo (Solem 1976). The historical known geographic range was less than 8 km2. No specimens were found in 2005 on Angaur (Rundell 2005, unpublished data, Rundell 2010). Only a single dead specimen (and no live specimens) was recovered from a single locality on the small island of Ulong in 2003 (Rundell 2003, unpublished data). If the species persists, its area of occupancy is estimated at less than 4km2.

This species is known from 173 specimens (12 live) that were collected at a single locality in Angaur in 1936 by Y. Kondo and K. Kondo (Solem 1976). Only a single (dead) specimen has been collected since then. No additional information on population size or trends is available.

www.iucnredlist.org/species/7/3145171#population

However, as you point out Alex, Rebecca Rundell recorded one or more specimens from Kuror in her 2005 report (Rundell, 2005:13). Of course, it is not explicitly stated that these were live individuals, but that seems to me to be implied (or at least that some of them were alive, since it seems important to me to point out if one only found dead shells of a (sub)species which is as endangered as the members of this genus are. It would have serious conservation implications). Maybe we should try and contact her about this?

Reference:

Rundell, Rebecca J. (2005). The Land Snails of Belau: Survey of the 16 States. Report. 19 pp. [automatic download]

[surroundx]

Incidentally, in the 2005 report Rebecca Rundell spells the genus name wrong on every occasion she uses it ("Aadonta" instead of "Aaadonta").

[surroundx]

Listed as possibly extinct by Cowie et al. 2017, who cite a pers. comm. with Ruth Rundell:

Cowie, Robert H., Régnier, Claire, Fontaine, Benoît, and Bouchet, Philippe. (2017). Measuring the Sixth Extinction: what do mollusks tell us? The Nautilus 131(1): 3-41.

[alexanderlang]

David Bullis:

"A. kinlochi - I've only recovered one juvenile while spending a significant amount of time collecting on the island where it is known (Peleliu). This species could likely be extinct but the presence of the juvenile and turning up several recently dead shells and a juvenile makes me more hopeful."