There are approximately 30,000 known species of snails in the world, but until now, only one species, commonly known as the Hikarii snail, was discovered in Singapore by Japanese biologist Dr. Yata Haneda in 1943.New bioluminescent organisms are often discovered in the deep sea, but new bioluminescent organisms are rarely discovered on land.

　In this research, snails were collected from various locations during a biological survey in Thailand, and five species of luminescent snails that were different from the snail were found. One of the species was a new species of the genus Hikarii, which is the same as Hikarimaima, but the remaining four species were of the genus Pfania, which had not previously been known to emit light.The area around the mouth of the snail snail flashes green, while the body (mantle and abdominal legs) of snails belonging to the genus Pfania continuously glows green.It was also confirmed that dormant individuals and eggs emit the same green light.

　The reason why these snails emit light is not well understood, but Professor Ohba and his colleagues believe that by emitting light, they may be able to camouflage themselves as fireflies or other luminous organisms that have an unpleasant taste or are poisonous, thereby evading predators. It is considered possible.

　This research result, which is the second time in the world in 80 years that five species of glowing snails have been discovered at the same time, shows Thailand's high natural biodiversity, and there are still many undiscovered organisms and their phenomena. It is also suggested that there may be some remaining.Chubu University and Chulalongkorn University plan to continue conducting biological research in Thailand.

Paper information:[Scientific Reports] A new discovery of the bioluminescent terrestrial snail genus Phuphania (Gastropoda:Dyakiidae)