coast amaranth vs

Amaranthus pumilus compared with Comatricha longipila

Key Differences

  • coast amaranth is Extinct while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank coast amaranth
Kingdom Plantae (Plants) Protozoa (protozoa)
Phylum Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants) Mycetozoa
Class Magnoliopsida (Dicots) Myxomycetes (Myxomycetes)
Order Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales) Stemonitidales
Family Amaranthaceae Stemonitidaceae
Genus Amaranthus Comatricha
Species Amaranthus pumilus Comatricha longipila

Conservation Status

coast amaranth

EX — Extinct

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute coast amaranth
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

coast amaranth

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found in Japan.

Habitat

Native to Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Norway, and Sweden.

coast amaranth

Coast amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) is an annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae, native to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the eastern United States, where it once grew on coastal foredunes, beach strand, and shell-hash substrates above the high tide line from New York south to South Carolina. It is a low-growing, fleshy plant with small, rounded leaves and inconspicuous green flowers typical of the genus. Coast amaranth is assessed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN, as it has not been reliably documented from wild populations since the mid-20th century; the last confirmed collections date to the 1960s. The species' decline and likely extinction resulted from intense human pressure on Atlantic coastal habitats through shoreline development, beach stabilisation, vehicular traffic on beaches, and increased storm frequency disrupting pioneer dune vegetation. It is federally listed as Threatened in the United States, though this listing predates confirmed extinction in the wild. A small number of ex-situ accessions may exist in botanical garden collections. Genetic material and seed banking efforts represent the only remaining conservation options for this critically reduced species.

<em>Comatricha longipila</em> is a myxomycete in the order Stemonitidales, class Myxomycetes, belonging to the species-rich genus <em>Comatricha</em>. The species name reflects a taxonomic characteristic used in its identification, as capillitial and spore features are the primary diagnostic traits for distinguishing species within this genus. <em>C. longipila</em> inhabits decaying woody substrates and moist organic debris in forested and shaded environments. It passes through a conspicuous plasmodial stage in which a macroscopic, multinucleate mass of cytoplasm moves across and through substrates in search of bacterial and fungal food sources. The species subsequently forms fruiting bodies that release spores for aerial dispersal. Like all myxomycetes, this organism does not possess conventional physical traits such as body length or mass, and no quantitative biological data are recorded for this species. It has not been assessed by the IUCN.

Nature FYI Family

Explore more of the natural world across our sister sites.

Part of the Nature FYI family — FYIPedia