New Snail Specie Discovered in Serbian Cavern
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Loading... - Gabriel Fortin
- 30 Jul 2024
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In an intriguing discovery, researchers have identified a new snail species in a cave on Mt. Devica, Serbia. The expedition, conducted between 2021 and 2023, involved exploring 30 locations to study wildlife, with the findings recently published in the journal ZooKeys on May 9th. The team was specifically looking for Vitrea snails, a group of small, air-breathing land snails in the family Pristilomatidae.
Vitrea snails are the only genus of Pristilomatidae snails in Serbia, consisting of eight known species: V. contracta, V. crystallina, V. diaphana, V. illyrica, V. kiliasi, V. kutschigi, V. sturanyi, and V. subrimata. However, the cave on Mt. Devica revealed a unique find that added a ninth species to this list.
During their exploration, the researchers encountered a dozen large, unfamiliar snails, which they identified as a new species: Vitrea virgo, also known as the Mt. Devica crystal snail. This species is notable for its relatively large size among Vitrea snails, measuring approximately 0.2 inches in width. The snail’s shell is translucent, tightly coiled, and nearly flat on the underside, while the soft body lacks pigmentation, appearing completely colorless.
Photographs of the Mt. Devica crystal snail show a delicate spiral shell that resembles plastic in texture. Like other Vitrea snails, V. virgo possesses both male and female genitalia, which is a characteristic feature of these hermaphroditic snails.
The Mt. Devica crystal snails were found crawling on wet rocks within a small underground cavern, primarily in darker areas deeper within the pit. This discovery highlights the rich biodiversity and the potential for finding new species in the less-explored underground habitats of Serbia.
