Santorini Glass Snail (Zonites santoriniensis)

The Santorini Glass Snail was described in 1987 based on subfossil shells that were found in the volcanic deposits of the island of Thira, also known as Santorini, in the southern Cyclades Islands, Greece. [1]

The species seems to have been wiped out by a volcanic eruption that happened at 1450 BC., the same eruption that may have led indirectly to the collapse of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, 110 km to the south of Thira, through a gigantic tsunami.

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References:

[1] A. Riedel; A. Norris: An undescribed species of Zonites from the Island of Santorini, Greece. Journal of Conchology 32(6): 377-378. 1987

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edited: 01.10.2020