Craspedotropis gretathunbergae
Craspedotropis gretathunbergae[1] is a species of snail in the family Cyclophoridae. The species was discovered in Brunei by a team of citizen scientists and subsequently named after climate activist Greta Thunberg. This led to a spurt of media attention towards the species.[2]
Craspedotropis gretathunbergae | |
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Species: | C. gretathunbergae |
Binomial name | |
Craspedotropis gretathunbergae Schilthuizen et al., 2020 | |
Taxonomy
After the discovery of the species, a vote was conducted among the members of the expedition and the staff of the national park, and a decision was made to name it after Greta Thunberg. According to the scientists, this was a "way of acknowledging that her generation will be responsible for fixing problems that they did not create". The holotype was collected by citizen scientist J.P. Lim.
This is the second animal, after Nelloptodes gretae, to be named after Greta Thunberg.[3]
Description
The species is 2 mm long and 1mm wide, with a concave shell, and grey tentacles. It is green-brown in color.
Habitat and distribution
The species is endemic to Brunei. All the specimens of the species were found on a steep hill, next to a river bank, while foraging at night on the green leaves of understory plants. The snail is very sensitive to change in temperature and climate.
References
- Schilthuizen, Menno; Lim, Jonathan; Peursen, Anthonie van; Alfano, Massimiliano; Jenging, Awang Bikas; Cicuzza, Daniele; Escoubas, Alexandre; Escoubas, Pierre; Grafe, Ulmar; Ja, Jamil; Koomen, Peter (2020-02-20). "Craspedotropis gretathunbergae, a new species of Cyclophoridae (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda), discovered and described on a field course to Kuala Belalong rainforest, Brunei". Biodiversity Data Journal. 8: e47484. doi:10.3897/BDJ.8.e47484. ISSN 1314-2828.
- "New Snail Species Named After Climate Activist Greta Thunberg". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
- Ny6QGwsxiV (2020-02-25). "Tiny 2mm-long SNAIL found in Brunei is named after Greta Thunberg". The Independent Eagle. Retrieved 2020-03-12.