科学家在中国云南省玉溪市的高海拔石灰岩洞穴中发现了一种此前未知的淡水蜗牛新物种，命名为二海地将（Erhaia dijiang），这是该科蜗牛在已知最高海拔地区的记录1。该物种以中国古代神话中的无面山神"地将"命名1，完全适应了洞穴的黑暗环境，眼睛已完全退化消失1。蜗牛壳呈半透明圆锥形，无色素，具有细长的触角1。
2025年8月进行的首次调查中，研究人员仅发现了3只成体和1个空壳，未发现任何幼体1。这些蜗牛生活在水深不足1米的洞穴水域中，水温约为20摄氏度，以硅藻为食1。种群数量极为稀少，保护前景令人担忧1。这一发现已发表在《地下生物学》期刊2026年第56卷上1。
Researchers have identified a previously unknown species of eyeless freshwater snail in a high-altitude limestone cave in Yuxi, Yunnan Province, China.1 The species, named Erhaia dijiang, represents the first recorded freshwater cave snail of the Erhaiidae family found in China and is named after a faceless mountain deity from ancient Chinese mythology.1
The snail was discovered at an elevation of 2,062 meters, making this the highest-altitude location recorded for a cave snail of its family.1 The creature has fully adapted to its lightless environment, with its eyes completely degenerated, and displays a semi-transparent, conical shell lacking pigmentation and featuring long, thin antennae.1 The snail feeds on diatoms in cave waters with temperatures around 20°C and depths under one meter.1
Population numbers are extremely limited, with researchers finding only three adult individuals and one empty shell during their initial survey in August 2025, and no juvenile specimens were observed.1 These findings were published in the journal Subterranean Biology, Volume 56, in October 2026, raising serious concerns about the species' conservation prospects.1
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