Angustopila psammion is a species of land snail belonging to the subfamily Hypselostomatinae of the family Gastrocoptidae. It was described in 2022.[1]

Angustopila psammion
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Gastrocoptidae
Genus: Angustopila
Species:
A. psammion
Binomial name
Angustopila psammion
Páll-Gergely, Vermeulen & Anker. 2022

This species was discovered by scientists scrutinising a small pothole-like cave located in northern Vietnam, according to the original description published in Contributions to Zoology.[2] According to National Geographic, this is the smallest species of land snail ever found. This species' shell measures 0.6 millimeters in diameter.[3][4] In comparison to other land snails in its family, the Angustopila psammion has a smaller parietal tooth and a shorter spire, however it has a much wider umbilicus.[5]

Etymology

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"Psammion (ψαμμιών)" derives from the ancient Greek word for "grain of sand."[4]

References

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  1. ^ MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Angustopila psammion. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1556455 on 2022-02-05
  2. ^ Páll-Gergely, Barna; Jochum, Adrienne; Vermeulen, Jaap J.; Anker, Katja; Hunyadi, András; Örstan, Aydin; Szabó, Ábel; Dányi, László; Schilthuizen, Menno (2022-01-05). "The world's tiniest land snails from Laos and Vietnam (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Hypselostomatidae)". Contributions to Zoology. 91 (1): 62–78. doi:10.1163/18759866-bja10025. ISSN 1875-9866.
  3. ^ "New snail species are world's smallest, tinier than grains of sand". MSN. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  4. ^ a b "Smallest snails on earth discovered?". National Geographic. 2 February 2022. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  5. ^ Páll-Gergely, Barna; Hunyadi, András; Vermeulen, Jaap J.; Grego, Jozef; Sutcharit, Chirasak; Reischütz, Alexander; Dumrongrojwattana, Pongrat; Botta-Dukát, Zoltán; Örstan, Aydin; Fekete, Judit; Jochum, Adrienne (2023-02-13). "Five times over: 42 new Angustopila species highlight Southeast Asia's rich biodiversity (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Hypselostomatidae)". ZooKeys (1147): 1–177. Bibcode:2023ZooK.1147....1P. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1147.93824. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 10297824.