The first cave-bound mollusc species from the Americas
Small individuals of Eupera troglobia sp. n. exposed to the air, with a harvestman (Eusarcus sp.) near them. Credit: Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira
Exclusively subterranean bivalves—the group of molluscs comprising clams, oysters, mussels, scallops—are considered a rarity. Prior to the present study, there had only been three such species confirmed in the world: all belonging to a small-sized mussel genus known from southeastern…