''Auriculella tenella'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of tropical air-breathing

land snail A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells (those without shells are known as ...

, terrestrial

pulmonate Pulmonata or pulmonates, is an informal group (previously an order, and before that a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includ ...

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

. This species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Description

''Auriculella tenella's'' shell can be described to have a sinistral shape with puffed up whorls. As for color it can be seen primarily as a shade of brown that has streaks of red and may have a single band of a darker hue of brown. As for dimensions, the average height of its shell is measured to about 5.6 millimeters while its width is around 3 millimeters.

Distribution and habitat

''Auriculella tenella'' can be located on Waianae mountains on the Hawaiian island,

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

. They primarily reside in several trees, making them arboreal, and other plant life such as small plants ('' Brossaisia'', '' Cordyline'', Freycinetia aborea, '' Lantana, Pelea, Sadleria cyatheoides, Bidens,

Coprosma ''Coprosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the Juan Fernández Islands. Description The name ''Copros ...

, Euphorbia,

Psychotria ''Psychotria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It contains 1,582 species and is therefore one of the largest genera of flowering plants. The genus has a pantropical distribution and members of the genus are small understor ...

Ilex ''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The speci ...

, Philodendron),'' ferns, tree trunks (''

Metrosideros ''Metrosideros'' is a genus of approximately 60 trees, shrubs, and vines mostly found in the Pacific region in the family Myrtaceae. Most of the tree forms are small, but some are exceptionally large, the New Zealand species in particular. The n ...

)'' near or on stream banks. But the species has also been seen on fallen dead leaves, tree bark, and stones on the ground. They last were found on the Mount Kaala Area Reserve in 1987''MOUNT KAALA NATURAL AREA RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN''. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Apr. 1990, dlnr.hawaii.gov/ecosystems/files/2013/08/Mount-Kaala-Management-Plan.pdf. Accessed 25 Feb. 2024. Their habitat is safeguarded and prioritized by the military and state in order to preserve the population of the species and other endemic animals of Hawai’i.Nature Serve. “Species at Risk on Department of Defense Installations.” Nature Serve, Jan. 2004, https://www.natureserve.org/sites/default/files/03-154-species-at-risk-on-department-of-defense-installations-revised-report-and-documentation.pdf. Accessed 10 Mar. 2024.

Status

''Auriculella tenella'' is currently considered a rare species according to Hawaiian malacologists and gathered heritage data. They are also considered imperiled globally to the Hawaii Heritage Program Rank.

References

Molluscs of the United States Auriculella Gastropods described in 1889 Taxa named by César Marie Félix Ancey Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Achatinellidae-stub