Cuba’s Polymita picta snail nominated for Mollusc of the Year

Polymita picta, a Cuban land snail, is one of five nominees to compete for the title of 2022 Mollusk of the Year, in a contest promoted by the LOEWE Center for Translational Genomics of Biodiversity in Germany.

According to information released by the institution, the Cuban land snail is famous for its shell colored variation and its enigmatic “love dart”, a device to stab mating partners in order to transfer sex hormones.

It is only found in Cuba’s eastern region, in a wide variety of habitats, from xerophytic shrubs woodland to rain forests and plantations where they benefit local agriculture by eating the moss and lichens on the leaves, the report stated.

The source noted that it is possibly the most beautiful snail in the world, whose size is 2-3 centimeters wide, in yellow, red, green, orange, white, black or pink tones, with bold spiral bands.

The species that wins most votes in the contest will undergo genome studies and will be promoted internationally to emphasize the importance of its preservation.