A snail has chosen to live in Isola delle Femmine. Since 1997, this small island that the people of Palermo often reach by rubber dinghy has been one of the natural reserves of the Sicilian Region, managed by LIPU. You can see it from the shore, less than a kilometer away, an islet with an evocative name just a stone's throw from Palermo. Here a team of experts has identified a small endemic snail. In zoology and botany, it is defined as endemic, a typical and exclusive species of a specific territory.
Where is the island that hosts the endemic snail
THEIsle of Females it is found in the stretch of sea between Punta Raisi and Capo Gallo. It has an area of about 0,14 km², and has taken on an almost rectangular shape over time (it is 575 meters long and 325 meters wide). For Orazio Nevoloso, Mayor of Isola delle Femmine, the municipality overlooking the sea that includes the islet, this discovery represents "another pearl that adds to the already valuable natural heritage of Isola delle Femmine".
The authors of the exceptional discovery
A group of Sicilian scholars, coordinated by the Palermitan Ignazio Sparacio, made the discovery. It is they who have described in these images, the characteristics of the small mollusk. The Isola delle Femmine snail is about 15 millimeters long, called Siciliaria leucophryna microinsularis. “For some years we had the intention of deepening the studies on the terrestrial molluscs of the Isola delle Femmine - says Sparacio. One in particular caught our attention small population of snails which at first glance it had seemed to show unique characteristics.
Finally, the field research and the laboratory study of these characteristic terrestrial molluscs have confirmed our initial intuition and we can now affirm that on the Isola delle Femmine there is a small exclusive snail of the island.".
The protection of biodiversity
"The discovery of a new snail subspecies in the territory of a Sicilian nature reserve represents a scientific success of great importance for the protection granted to the environment and biodiversity by the Region.”The Hon Salvatore Cordaro, Regional Councilor for the Territory and the Environment, announced.
The Isola delle Femmine reserve has been managed for years by the Lipu (Italian Bird Protection League). The island is a strategic point, a pit stop for international travelers. This means that during the migrations some birds stop here to regain their strength. Among the species of passage we find the Cormorant, the Heron Gray, the Kingfisher and the Little Egret. There are numerous small passerines, some of which also nesting, such as the Black Redstart, the Cappellaccia and the Cutrettola. They are joined by the Buzzard and the Peregrine Falcon, species of prey that live in the surrounding areas. Lipu protects the environment and allows the use of tourist activities.
Vincenzo Di Dio, director of the nature reserve explains: "even small places like this reserve can reserve pleasant surprises from a naturalistic point of view if investigated by competent eyes. This discovery rewards the efforts made in recent years and is also a new responsibility that we welcome with enthusiasm, so that this new peculiarity of Isola delle Femmine can be adequately protected and known."
Speaking of environmental responsibility is Danilo Selvaggi, Director General of LIPU, “The discovery of an endemic subspecies is an event of great emotion, which reminds us of the extraordinary richness of biodiversity and the need to protect natural areas, and especially Sicilian reserves, with an ever-increasing commitment. So small is this snail, so great is our scientific, environmental and cultural responsibility ".
Photo sources: I. Sparacio
