Two new microscopic snail species discovered in Meghalaya limestone caves

Key facts

• Researchers from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) discovered two new species of microscopic snails in the limestone caves of Meghalaya.
• The discovery, published in the European Journal of Taxonomy, identifies the species as Georissa meghalayaensis and Acmella bensoni from the Krem Puri and Arwah cave systems.
• Georissa meghalayaensis is distinguished by its orangish-red shell and intricate mesh-like ridges, occurring exclusively in the state of Meghalaya.
• Acmella bensoni is characterised by a translucent whitish shell with deeply impressed grooves and is named after the 19th-century naturalist William H Benson.
• Meghalaya forms part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot and contains over 1,200 limestone caves that serve as habitats for these shell-bearing organisms.