Two land snail species new to science found on Santa Maria
Azores GuideThe EU co-funded LIFE Snails project also recorded a snail thought to be extinct, but found none of two of its three priority species.
Two species of land snail unknown to science have been found on the island of Santa Maria, the regional secretary for the Environment and Climate Action, Alonso Miguel, announced at the final conference of the LIFE Snails project. Their scientific description is in preparation.
Field work also recorded specimens of Azorivitrina pelagica, a species that had been considered extinct.
The project started in January 2022 and ends at the end of this year. Its targets were three threatened land snails endemic to Santa Maria: Leptaxis minor, Oxychilus agostinhoi and Azorivitrina angulosa.
Monitoring recorded about 10,000 specimens of land molluscs from 57 species, 11 of them endemic to Santa Maria. Among them were 525 individuals of Leptaxis minor, a species classed as Endangered. According to Açoriano Oriental, no specimens were found of the other two priority species.
The project cost about two million euros, 55% of it paid by the European Union. It worked on about 20 hectares of production forest, secondary woodland and riparian woodland, clearing invasive species and regenerating native vegetation. A greenhouse and a shade house built for the project have produced about 50,000 plants of endemic and native species.
A pilot environmental education programme for primary pupils had an overall satisfaction rate of 92% among teachers, and the Regional Government intends to extend it to the other primary schools of the Azores. The project also proposed voluntary incentives for farmers to plant hedges along the edges of pastures.
Sources
Azores Guide
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