coast amaranth vs sun shell

Amaranthus pumilus compared with Astraea heliotropium

Key Differences

coast amaranth is Extinct while sun shell is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	coast amaranth	sun shell
Kingdom	Plantae (plantas)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Mollusca (Moluscos)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Gastropoda (Gastrópodes)
Order	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)	Trochida (Trochida)
Family	Amaranthaceae	Turbinidae
Genus	Amaranthus	Astraea
Species	Amaranthus pumilus	Astraea heliotropium

Conservation Status

coast amaranth

EX — Extinct

sun shell

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	coast amaranth	sun shell
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.

sun shell

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Found in New Zealand.

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.