The four unique species of the snail family previously discovered in Yunnan have recently been classified by researchers into the same brand new genus and named the Litania genus, namely the Delavian Litania, the pointed dragon bone Litania, the Dianxi Litania, and the tower shaped Litania. This marks the further growth of the snail family. This research achievement was recently published in the international academic journal Animal systematics and Evolution. According to Zhang Lejia, the lead author of the paper and a doctoral candidate at the Berlin Museum of Natural History in Germany, since 2010, researchers have systematically collected the species of Volvaceae in the wetland environment of major lakes in Yunnan, and have successively published two new genera of Volvaceae endemic to Yunnan, namely, the genus Sinosaurus and the genus Cyclosaurus. In recent years, they have collected four unique species of the snail family from places such as Eryuan in Dali, Jianchuan, and Lugu Lake in Lijiang. Through comparative research, it was found that the unique morphology of the shell and mouth cap, the ultrastructure of the toothed tongue, especially the outer teeth, the preference for shallow water environments in high-altitude areas, and the molecular phylogenetic development based on mitochondrial genes all indicate that these four Yunnan endemic species cannot be classified into any known genera and should be attributed to the same brand new genus. Du Lina, co author of the paper and associate professor of the School of Life Sciences of Guangxi Normal University, introduced that, together with the newly described genus Lysimachia, Yunnan, with four endemic genera, was once again confirmed as the region with the highest species diversity of the family Lysimachidae in the world. The four species under the Litian snail genus all have very narrow distribution areas, with each species only distributed in one or several lakes and swamp environments, and their distribution areas are completely non overlapping. Zhang Lejia said that this genus, mainly distributed in the northwest region of Yunnan, is the genus with the highest altitude distribution in the family of snails. Among them, the habitat of Jianlonguli snails in Lugu Lake has an altitude of 2698 meters, demonstrating a unique adaptability to plateau environments. But these species with high altitude and narrow distribution are extremely sensitive to environmental changes, and now all species in this genus are in endangered or even extremely endangered situations. Researchers hope that the publication of research on the new genus can provide more theoretical basis for the biological conservation of Yunnan, an extremely important biodiversity center, and promote the follow-up of conservation measures for related species. China has the highest species diversity of Volvaceae in the world, while Yunnan has the highest diversity of Volvaceae and the most endemic genera in China. At present, there are 10 genera including 4 endemic genera, accounting for one third of the known genera of Volvaceae in the world, and at least 14 endemic species. (Outlook New Era Network)