Luminous Land Snail Wins!

Over 6,000 people voted for their favorite mollusc competitor to win the ultimate prize: a complete genome sequencing. Now the results for the 2024 International Mollusc of the Year are in!

And the winner is… Phuphania crossei, the bioluminescent land snail whose foot glows green, like a living glow stick! This species is only found in the tropical forests of Thailand. Its name is derived from the Phu Phan mountains in the north-east of its home country. Up until now, no research has addressed why these land snails glow. Light production costs the animal a lot of energy, so scientists believe there must be some evolutionary advantages to bioluminescent glowing. Since bioluminescence has evolved independently in several marine lineages, researchers hope that better understanding this snail’s genome could help us understand the mysterious world of the bioluminescent molluscs in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems. Genome sequencing of this species will also help to provide insights into the processes behind its luminescence, and help us to protect it in the wild.

Find out more about this mollusc winner here: https://www.senckenberg.de/de/pressemeldungen/eine-leuchtende-landschnecke-ist-internationales-weichtier-des-jahres-2024/

Learn more about the five finalist species in the “International Mollusc of the Year 2024” competition here: https://www.senckenberg.de/molluscoftheyear2024

Want to nominate a species for next year’s “International Mollusc of the Year 2025” competition? Nominations are now possible here: https://tbg.senckenberg.de/de/mollusc-of-the-year-nominations