Mysterious, never-before-seen snail species discovered inside Son Doong Cave

(NLDO) – The discovery of a new snail species in Son Doong Cave not only contributes to biodiversity but also emphasizes the importance of research and conservation.

New snail species discovered in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park (Photo taken at sinkhole 1, Son Doong Cave)

On January 8, Mr. Dinh Huy Tri, Deputy Director of the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Management Board, Quang Binh province, said that a new species of snail was discovered by Vietnamese scientists in Son Doong Cave.

The new snail species has the scientific name Calybium plicatus sp.nov., belongs to the genus Calybium, family Helicinidae, order Cycloneritida, class Gastropoda, kingdom Animalia. They were collected at sinkhole 1 inside Son Doong cave. This is considered the first species recorded belonging to the genus of terrestrial gastropod mollusks in Vietnam.

Calybium plicatus sp.nov. has a shell shape similar to Calybium massiei (Morlet, 1892), but the difference is that the shell size is smaller and the apical wall has six equally spaced apical plates.

New snail species discovered in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. Photo taken in the laboratory

This new snail species was described within the framework of the project "Research on biodiversity of Son Doong cave system, Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park for conservation and sustainable development" chaired by Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Van Lien, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Museum of Nature.

After discovering this special snail species, the research team proposed naming this new species Son Doong cone snail.

According to the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Management Board, the discovery of a new snail species in Son Doong Cave not only contributes to biodiversity in this area, but also emphasizes the importance of research and conservation in developing a sustainable ecosystem.

Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park has recorded 2,954 species of vascular plants, belonging to 1,007 genera, 198 families, 63 orders, 12 classes, and 6 phyla. Of these, 111 species are listed in the Vietnam Red Book, 121 species in the IUCN Red Book, and 3 species are listed in Decree No. 64/2019/ND-CP, issued on July 16, 2019.

Regarding animals, Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park has recorded 1,399 species belonging to 835 genera, 289 families, 66 orders, 12 classes, and 4 phyla. Of which, 82 species are listed in the Vietnam Red Book, 116 species in the IUCN Red Book, 39 species listed in Decree No. 64/2019/ND-CP, and 66 species listed in CITES appendices.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/phat-hien-loai-oc-bi-an-chua-tung-thay-ben-trong-hang-son-doong-19625010814531268.htm