Photo Courtesy: nenews
Shillong: Researchers found two new species of microscopic snails inside Meghalaya's limestone caves. Nipu Kumar Das and Neelavar Ananthram Aravind from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment identified the molluscs. They published the findings in the European Journal of Taxonomy.
The team named the species Georissa meghalayaensis and Acmella bensoni. They thrive in the Krem Puri and Arwah cave networks. These snails are tiny. Researchers required microscopic examination to confirm the species.
Georissa meghalayaensis lives near the Krem Puri entrance. It features an orangish-red shell with complex ridges. Its name honors the state of Meghalaya. Meanwhile, Acmella bensoni hides deeper in the caves. It has a translucent, whitish shell marked by fine ribs. It honors 19th-century naturalist William H. Benson.
Meghalaya sits in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. It holds over 1,200 limestone caves. These caves protect many unique creatures, but experts fear for their future. Human activity puts this life at risk. Heavy foot traffic, artificial lights, and stairways cause damage. Mining adds to the pressure.
The team noted that "both species are so small that they can easily go unnoticed without detailed microscopic examination." This reality shows how much of the region's biology remains hidden. Scientists now want tighter rules to protect the caves from further habitat loss.
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