Cuba's Polymita competes for title Mollusk of the Year
- Written by Redacción ¡ahora!
- Published in Cuba
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Polymita picta, common name of the Cuban land snail, is currently among the five finalists to compete for the title 'Mollusk of the Year 2021.'
Such snail, considered the most beautiful mollusk in the planet, participates in the contest with 120 nominees, according to Translational Biodiversity Genomics Center and Unitas Malacologica (the American Malacological Society), the organizers of the contest.
According to the scientific literature, Polymita picta is a specie of gastropod mollusk, with a ventral fleshy bottom that they use to crawl. These land pulmonate snails are hermaphrodites and have two pairs of tentacles on their head.
The word 'Polymita' is formed from two Greek roots, 'poly' that means 'many' and 'mitos' that means 'thread or stripes,' which is the most widespread property in its special colorful shells. The word 'picta' is derived from the Latin word 'pictus' that means 'painted.'
At present, Cuban environmentalists are working to effectively protect the exclusive terrestrial snail of the eastern Caribbean island.
