A Blind Cave Snail With a Translucent Shell: A First for China
Published: August 10, 4:00 PM
A cave snail never before documented in China has now been formally identified as Erhaia dijiang. The freshwater species is blind and almost colorless, and its semi-transparent shell shows the body within. So far, only three living specimens have been found, all in a deep mountain cave in southwestern China. At 2,062 meters above sea level, the discovery site marks a record elevation for the Erhaiidae family.
Where It Lives and What It Eats
The snail makes its home among gravel and broken rock in shallow cave pools less than one meter deep. The water there holds a steady temperature around 20 °C. In its natural setting, it feeds on diatoms; in laboratory conditions, it also eats fish food. Heavy rains can push the snails toward the cave entrance with strong currents, yet none have been found in the surface streams outside.
These snails stay inside the cave, never venturing more than two meters from the entrance. Their eyes and related structures have been lost through evolution, and their bodies are completely unpigmented. The name Erhaia dijiang comes from Di Jiang, a faceless mountain deity described in the ancient Chinese text Shan Hai Jing (The Classic of Mountains and Seas).
Scientists are calling for broader cave surveys across China to search for Erhaia dijiang and other species still unknown to science. The recovered specimens open up new possibilities for studying cave fauna and the evolutionary pathways that shape life in remote environments. Cave-dwelling animals are particularly important to researchers because they reveal how organisms adapt to extreme isolation. This discovery highlights the value of protecting these fragile habitats and continuing fieldwork before such species are lost.
The snail found in China (Photo: He et al., 2026)
The existence of Erhaia dijiang is a reminder of the rich biodiversity hidden in cave ecosystems. It also demonstrates how much remains to be learned about these environments and the forces that drive evolution in isolation. Conservation efforts and continued scientific exploration will be essential to uncover additional unknown species that may already be under threat from environmental change.
Source: SciTechDaily