Kauaʻi record · KCA-BCM-00012

Native Hawaiian Oyster

Dendostrea sandvichensis

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Native Hawaiian Oyster — Atlas scientific reconstruction based on reviewed morphology evidence; not a specimen photograph or population claim. · Kauaʻi Conservation Atlas · Kauaʻi Conservation Atlas community media · Image source

About Native Hawaiian Oyster

A small attached oyster with irregular ribs and toothed margins, occurring in Hawaiʻi and elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific. Historical surveys documented it at Nawiliwili and Port Allen on Kauaʻi.

Occurrence evidence

Bishop Museum TR29 coastal-survey table explicitly records Dendostrea sandvichensis in Kauaʻi station columns.

Names and classification

Scientific name: Dendostrea sandvichensis
Common names: Native Hawaiian oyster · Hawaiian oyster
Family: Ostreidae
Order: Ostreida

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Kauaʻi occurrence: Historical survey occurrence; no recent living Kauaʻi record independently inspected.
Origin: Indigenous
Conservation status: Not assessed
Evidence date: 2026-10-01
Evidence limits: Evidence is bounded to the source events and dates; current population size, island-wide distribution, and persistence at historical sites have not been established.

Habitat and ecology

Habitats: Marine reef and nearshore

Process and seasonal context

Seasonal description: A small attached oyster with irregular ribs and toothed margins, occurring in Hawaiʻi and elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific. Historical surveys documented it at Nawiliwili and Port Allen on Kauaʻi.

Sources and further reading

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