List of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha animals extinct in the Holocene

This is a list of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha animals extinct in the Holocene that covers extinctions from the Holocene epoch, a geologic epoch that began about 11,650 years before present (about 9700 BCE)^[a] and continues to the present day.^[1]

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic. The territory consists of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha (including Gough Island), all of volcanic origin.

Numerous animal species have disappeared from Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha as part of the ongoing Holocene extinction, driven by human activity.

Birds (class Aves)

Cuckoos (order Cuculiformes)

Cuckoos (family Cuculidae)

Pigeons and doves (order Columbiformes)

Pigeons and doves (family Columbidae)

Rails and cranes (order Gruiformes)

Rails (family Rallidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Saint Helena rail	Aphanocrex podarces	Saint Helena	Most recent remains dated to around 1640.[2]
Tristan moorhen	Gallinula nesiotis	Tristan da Cunha	Last recorded in 1873. Became extinct due to hunting, predation by introduced rats, cats, and pigs, and habitat destruction by fire.[4]
Ascension crake	Mundia elpenor	Ascension Island	Last recorded in 1656. It probably became extinct after the introduction of rats in the 18th century, or cats in 1815.[5]
Saint Helena crake	Zapornia astrictocarpus	Saint Helena	Most recent remains dated to around 1640.[2]

Shorebirds (order Charadriiformes)

Gulls, terns, and skimmers (family Laridae)

Locally extinct

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Kelp gull	Larus dominicanus	Southern Hemisphere coasts	Present in Saint Helena before c. 1640. It is unknown if it bred on the island.[2]

Albatrosses and petrels (order Procellariiformes)

Petrels and shearwaters (family Procellariidae)

Pelicans, herons, and ibises (order Pelecaniformes)

Herons (family Ardeidae)

Hornbills and hoopoes (order Bucerotiformes)

Hoopoes (family Upupidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Saint Helena hoopoe	Upupa antaios	Saint Helena	Most recent remains at Prosperous Bay dated to around 1640. It was flightless or a poor flyer, making it easy prey for introduced cats and rats.[2]

Insects (class Insecta)

Dragonflies and damselflies (order Odonata)

Skimmers, perchers, and relatives (family Libellulidae)

Earwigs (order Dermaptera)

Striped earwigs (order Labiduridae)

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Saint Helena earwig	Labidura herculeana	Saint Helena	Last collected in 1967. Isolated mice, spiders, and the centipede Scolopendra morsitans have increased.[7]

Beetles (order Coleoptera)

Ground beetles (family Carabidae)

Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Aplothorax burchelli	Saint Helena	Last collected in 1966-1967.[8]

Slugs and snails (class Gastropoda)

Order Stylommatophora

Family Achatinidae

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
	Chilonopsis blofeldi	Saint Helena	Last seen in the 1870s.[9]
	Chilonopsis exulatus	Saint Helena	Last seen in the 1870s.[10]
	Chilonopsis helena	Saint Helena	Last seen in the 1870s.[11]
	Chilonopsis melanoides	Saint Helena	Last seen in the 1870s.[12]
Great Saint Helena awl snail	Chilonopsis nonpareil	Saint Helena	Described from subfossil shells in 1875. It probably disappeared due to habitat modification caused by introduced goats, pigs, and rabbits, or predation by rats, mice, and the centipede Scolopendra morsitans.[13]
	Chilonopsis subplicatus	Saint Helena	Last seen in the 1870s.[14]
	Chilonopsis subtruncatus	Saint Helena	Last seen in the 1870s.[15]
	Chilonopsis turtoni	Saint Helena	Last seen in the 1870s.[16]

Family Charopidae

Family Pupillidae

Whorl snails (family Vertiginidae)

Notes

References