This endemism of the terrestrial malacological fauna in Catalonia was described more than a hundred years ago in the Montserrat mountain.
This endemism of the terrestrial malacological fauna in Catalonia was described more than a hundred years ago in the Montserrat mountain. A study published in the journal Scientific Reports reveals the genetic structure of the land snail Xerocrassa montserratensis and it provides new scientific tools for the improvement of the conservation of this endemic and threatened species in Catalonia. This land mollusc, identified in the late 19th century in the Montserrat mountain, has a reduced geographical distribution limited to the province of Barcelona, and it is a protected species in the area of the natural parks of Montserrat and Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac. The study is led by the lecturer Marta Pascual, from the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute of the University of Barcelona ( IRBio ), and signed by Cristina Català (UB-IRBio), Vicenç Bros (Barcelona Provincial Council), Xavier Castelltort (University of Lleida), and Xavier Santos (Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources - CIBIO, Portugal). Both the paper and its publication received the collaboration of the team of the Office of the Natural Park of Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac, and the economic support of the Technical Office of the Natural Parks from the Barcelona Provincial Council park network. An endemic species described more than a hundred years ago in Montserrat The species Xerocrassa montserratensis -previously named Helix montserratensis -, is a uniqueness of the terrestrial malacological fauna in Catalonia described by Joaquín González Hidalgo in 1870 in the Montserrat mountain.
