Two new Cochlostoma species from the Durmitor and Komarnica regions of northern Montenegro (Caenogastropoda, Cochlostomatidae)

Two new species of the gastropod genus Cochlostoma, C. (Turritus) dobrido sp. nov. and C. (Turritus) komarnica sp. nov., were discovered in Durmitor National Park and Komarnica Canyon, Montenegro. These findings highlight the hidden diversity within this widespread Mediterranean genus, challenging the assumption of uniform shell morphology. The species were identified through citizen-science expeditions, revealing sympatric and syntopic distributions with Cochlostoma scalariniforme and each other. This research underscores the importance of slow-migrating gastropods as indicators of long-term ecological stability in karst environments.

Schilthuizen, M., Boomsma, R., Faes, S., Jousma, M., Buisman, J., Lankenau, D.-H., Kountouras, S., van den Broek, M., Hemelaar, E., Noomen, J., de Vries, R., Lopatriello, G., Limongi, A. R., Maestri, S., Kamchev, P., van Manen, S., Khalik, M. Z., Delledonne, M., Đokić, J., et al. (2026). Two new Cochlostoma species from the Durmitor and Komarnica regions of northern Montenegro (Caenogastropoda, Cochlostomatidae). Biodiversity Data Journal, 14. https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.14.e196955