Pará Caves hide mysteries; two new species are found

The study itself highlights that research on gastropods in caves of this type is still at an early stage. According to Rodrigo B. Salvador, researcher and curator of invertebrates at the Finnish Museum of Natural History at the University of Helsinki and one of the study's authors, a possible clue lies in the characteristics of the shells found. “We assume that [calcium sources] must be scarce, as the snail shells there have very thin and translucent walls,” he says. Another aspect caught the attention of researchers. In previously studied limestone caves in Brazil, representatives of several snail families were found. In Carajás, however, the gastropods recorded mainly belong to two families: Achatinidae and Scolodontidae. Of the seven species recorded in the survey, four belong to Achatinidae and three to Scolodontidae. One of them, Systrophia siolii, was found only in the forested areas outside the caves, not inside them. The researchers emphasize, however, that it is not yet possible to say that the availability of calcium is responsible for the lower diversity observed. To do this, it would be necessary to study a greater number of ferruginous caves. After three years of expeditions, scientists discover new species in Pará Jonas Eduardo Gallão Identification Finding an unknown species does not necessarily mean realizing, even during collection, that it is an animal new to science. In many cases, the discovery happens later, during the process of identifying and comparing the specimens. This is what happened with the gastropods from Carajás. According to Laura Ferreira-Santos, a researcher at the Underground Studies Laboratory (LES) at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), the collected specimens can remain in scientific collections for years until experts are able to analyze them. Two new species of snails are discovered in caves in Pará Laura Ferreira-Santos This problem is known as “taxonomic impediment”, a situation related to the lack of specialists, resources and knowledge necessary to identify and describe biodiversity. “We may have hundreds of specimens collected and stored in scientific collections, but without researchers specializing in that group, many organisms remain without definitive records”, explains Laura. In the case of the two new species, the researchers used different characteristics to differentiate them from other known gastropods. Rectobelus arsayae, for example, has a thin, elongated shell and presents very distinct characteristics. Before the study, there was only one known similar species in Brazil, recorded exclusively in a place with a lot of limestone. Two new species of snails are discovered in caves in Pará B,C: Daniel Caracanhas Cavallari / A,D,E,F: Laura Ferreira-Santos Scolodonta carajaensis is more similar to other species of the same genus. Therefore, identification required the combination of characteristics of the animal's shell and body, in addition to DNA analysis. The specimens studied were deposited in scientific collections at UFSCar and the University of São Paulo (USP), where they remain preserved and can be consulted in future research. Function in the ecosystem Despite their small size, gastropods perform important functions in the environments where they live. In general, land snails feed on fungi, lichens and decaying plant matter. In this way, they participate in the recycling of nutrients and contribute to the functioning of the ecosystem. In the Carajás caves, however, researchers still do not know exactly what these species eat. During the expeditions, some individuals were observed sitting on the guano — accumulated feces — of bats. The observation raised the hypothesis that snails may feed directly on this material