A newly identified land snail hermaphrodite species, native to Taiwan, has been named in the honor of marriage equality. The researchers who found the snail species have named it 'AegistaDiversiFamilia'. According to the researchers, it represents the diversity of sexual orientation in the animal world.

The snail species is widespread in eastern Taiwan, but researchers have mistaken it with another related species. Researchers came to know about the species, when they found a morphological difference between the snails of eastern Taiwan's and snails on the west side of Taiwan's Central Mountain Range.

A researcher who is part of the research, Dr. Yen-Chang Lee, said, "When we were preparing the manuscript, it was a period when Taiwan and many other countries and states were struggling for the recognition of same-sex marriage rights".

According to Yen-Chang Lee, the research reminded them that Pulmonata land snails are hermaphrodite animals and a single individual of the species has reproductive organs of both male and female.

The researchers stated that while indentifying the species, they decided that the time could be best occasion to name the species to remember the struggle for the recognition of same-sex marriage rights.

According to Dr. Lee, in 2003, while doing a research, he came to know about the difference between Aegistasubchinensis, land snails, and the Central Mountain Range in Taiwan's snails.

Dr. Lee and a team of researchers from the National Taiwan Normal University observed molecule markers and shapes of the species carefully. After the study, they found that the species was different from other snails.

The detailed analysis showed that the newly discovered species has bigger and flatter shell. According to the researchers, the snail resembles a land snail which is found in Japan's Ishigaki Island.