Photo/Illutration A land snail that produces a greenish light (Provided by Yuichi Oba)

A team of Japanese and Thai researchers has found four species of luminous land snails, only the second such discovery after one came to light in 1943.

Scientists from Chubu University in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture, and Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok have been studying a variety of terrestrial snail species collected in Thailand since 2020.

They said they discovered four species belonging to the genus Phuphania that produce a continuous greenish light from light-emitting cells located within the mantle and the foot.

Previously, the only known luminous land snail was a species belonging to the genus Quantula that a Japanese biologist discovered in Singapore 80 years ago.

Researchers said both the luminous parts and luminescence patterns of the newly discovered species are different from those of the Quantula species.

The snails emit light apparently to avoid predators, according to Yuichi Oba, a professor at Chubu University’s Department of Environmental Biology and a member of the research team.

Oba, who specializes in bioluminescence, said the mollusks may be mimicking other luminescent creatures that are believed to glow partly to warn that they are poisonous. He cited the venomous firefly larvae as an example.

Researchers said about 7,000 species of luminescent creatures are known to exist, many inhabiting deep ocean waters. The discovery of land-dwelling varieties is rare.

It often remains a mystery how these creatures produce light and why.

The latest findings were published in the online version of the journal Scientific Reports.

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