AKP Phnom Penh, March 25, 2025 --

The Clostophis udayaditinus n. sp - a new micro-snail species - has been recently described from karst in Phnom Banan, Battambang province, according to a news release from Fauna & Flora-Cambodia Programme.

The species is named in honour of king Udayadityavarman II (1050-1066), the first king who built Phnom Banan Temple, which later became the name of the hill.

The research was conducted in 2024 by Fauna & Flora - Cambodia Programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and a group of experts from Chulalongkorn University, Mahidol University and Khon Kaen University with the funding support by EU through the “Bcoming project”.

Prior to this study, 13 species from five genera of terrestrial snails had been recorded in Karst from Cambodia, but no species from the genus Clostophis had ever been documented. This discovery marks the first record of the microsnail genus Clostophis (usually< 2mm) in Cambodia and describes Clostophis udayaditinus as a new species to science—making it the 20th Clostophis species recorded globally.

Karsts in Cambodia are rich in endemic species due to their isolated nature. This discovery is significant as it marks the first record of the genus Clostophis in Cambodia, highlighting the uniqueness of these habitats and the importance of their conservation.

By Heng Panha