Strange New Snail Discovered in Serbia Cavern

A scientist equipped with climbing gear descended into a cavern in eastern Serbia. In this underground cave, a large creature moving on a wet stone was spotted. Remarkably, that creature turned out to be a new species.

The cave on Mt. Devica was one of 30 locations that researchers explored between 2021 and 2023 when they were studying wildlife, according to a study published on May 9th in the journal ZooKeys. The team was searching for a group of small, unique snails known as Vitrea snails.

Vitrea is a type of small land snail that breathes in air, belonging to the terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Pristilomatidae.

In Serbia, Vitrea is the only genus of Pristilomatidae snails, which includes a total of eight species. These are the V. contracta, V. crystallina, V. diaphana, V. illyrica, V. kiliasi L. Pintér, V. kutschigi, V. sturanyi, and V. subrimata, according to the study.

New species named Vitrea virgo discovered

During their surveys, most of the snails discovered were already known species, but Mt. Devica presented a unique find. In exploring the underground cavern, researchers encountered a dozen large, unfamiliar-looking snails, as reported in the study.

Upon closer examination, they identified these creatures as a new species: Vitrea virgo, also known as the Mt. Devica crystal snail.

The Mt. Devica crystal snail is notable for its relatively large size, measuring approximately 0.2 inches in width, according to the study. Its shells are translucent and tightly coiled, with a nearly flat underside. The soft bodies of these snails lack any pigmentation.

Photographs show the shell of a Mt. Devica crystal snail from multiple viewpoints. The spiral shell appears delicate, resembling plastic in its texture. Similar to other Vitrea snails, the newly discovered species possesses both male and female genitalia, according to researchers.

Mt. Devica crystal snails were observed crawling on wet rocks within a small underground cavern, as noted in the study. These creatures were predominantly found deeper within the pit, specifically in darker areas.

No DNA analysis of the new species released yet

The researchers chose to name the new species after Mt. Devica, the location of its discovery and its only known habitat thus far. The name “Devica” translates to “virgin” in Serbian. Hence, the species was named after the Latin word “virgo.”

Located in eastern Serbia, Mt. Devica is approximately 150 miles southeast of Belgrade near the border with Bulgaria.

The identification of the new species was based on several physical characteristics, including shell size, shape, body coloration, genitalia, and other subtle features, according to the study. However, researchers did not conduct a DNA analysis of the new species.