Researchers have teamed up in a race to save some of the world’s most beautiful snails – and to uncover the secrets behind its bright hues.
The six ‘painted’ tree snail species (known collectively as Polymita) have shells with exceptionally bright colours and complex patterns.
They’re found in a remote region of Eastern Cuba but are vulnerable to overcollection and the shell trade, where collectors and poachers sell the shells to tourists or trade them abroad.
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The most endangered species of these six is thought to be Polymita sulphurosa. But in order to fully assess Polymita’s conservation status, professor of evolutionary genetics at the University of Nottingham, Angus Davison, and invertebrate expert Dave Clarke, from London Zoo, travelled to Cuba to find out for sure.
Davison and Clarke are working with professor Dr Bernardo Reyes-Tur at Universidad de Oriente, Cuba, to put the snails on the IUCN red list. They hope this will help a conservation breeding programme to be established in the future.
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Davison said: "Initially we are supporting the in-country experts with advice and to provide materials to help them breed these beautiful snails in the lab in Cuba.”
The team also hope to use DNA methods to discover the relationships between the different species, which will help with conservation priorities – and even understand how their unusually bright colours have developed.
Clarke added: "It was amazing to see the diversity of shell colours first hand! Finally finding a population of the rarest species in a remote location was a relief, however we also saw evidence of fresh habitat destruction. We hope these exceptional snails can be successfully reared in the lab, to learn more about them and provide a failsafe against the threats in the wild.”
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Top image: a Polymita snail in its native Cuba. Credit: Professor Angus Davison/University of Nottingham.