Mollusk (Snail) ID Guide (October '10)

[jonthefb]

Let's start the ID party with our favorite workhorses in our tanks....snails! Please grab the ID format from the stuck thread in here and add your info! I will compile all of the submissions into a final definitive ID guide that we can all rely/refer to as needed!

Ideas to get you guys submitting:

Astrea
Cerith
Stomatella
Columbellid
Sea Hare
Turbo
Etc!

Cheers~!
Jon

EDIT: So a site that I have found to be absolutely dynamite in helping ID many of these snails based on their shell is:
http://www.gastropods.com/index.shtml

Check it out! It is an amazing resource!

 

[jonthefb]

Species: Opeatostoma pseudodon
Comon Name(s): Red Footed Conch/Thorn Tooth Latrius/Banded Tooth Latrius
Size: 1.5"L x 1"W x 1"T
Shape: Spiral with predominate tooth near operculum opening
Color: Tan with black stripes, covered in coralline algae
Aquarium Habitat: Substrate/Rock
Origins: Pacific Coast of N. & S. America
Food: Unknown
Method of Reproduction: Unknown
Experiences/Notes: I received these snails as "Chestnut Turbo Snails" which they are not. After placing them in my tank, they immediately burrowed in the sandbed/clung to live rock/underside of corals.

Photos:

 

[jonthefb]

Species:Stomatella varia
Comon Name(s):Stomatella snail
Size:>1" - 1 1/4"
Shape:Oval, often reffered to as a shell-less snail
Color:Varies. Grey, black, mottled, etc.
Aquarium Habitat:Rock and glass mostly.
Origins:Indo-Pacific, often as hitchikers on Live Rock, corals, frags, algae, etc.
Food:Herbivores that eat microalge, including diatoms, cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates.
Method of Reproduction:Broadcast spawners. Quick pelagic larval phase, easy to breed in captivity.
Experiences/Notes:These guys have a cool defense mechanism similar to some reptiles that will "ditch" appendages when threatened. When this snail is threatened it can "ditch" a portion of its foot that continues to move and writhe after ejection to keep the attention of the predator.

Photos:

 

[jonthefb]

Species:Tectus fenestratus
Comon Name(s):Trochus snail, Turban snail
Size:Up to 2" W x 2" T
Shape:Pyramid, round aperture, sometimes with bumps or ridges on the shell
Color:White, Grey, mixed combinations of the two. Body of snail is white and black spotted.
Aquarium Habitat:Rock and glass
Origins:Indo Pacific
Food:All types of algaes, filamented, micro, turf, and slime.
Method of Reproduction:Broadcast spawners.
Experiences/Notes:These snails do have a protein/horn type of operculum that is semi-transparent and brown.

Photos:

 

[Mckibbonator]

Species: Yet to be named
Comon Name(s): yet to be named
Size: Max size recorded 2 inches
Shape: any
Color: Black / blue
Aquarium Habitat: Unknown
Origins: unknown
Food:Unknown
Method of Reproduction: unknown
Experiences/Notes: Little is known of this snail out side of the fact that it has a symbiotic relationship with a sponge in the genus Haliclona. They tend to avoid bright light, and the sponge is prone to air bubbles. The was one known specimen that had a serpent stare as a "roommate" to the host sponge. The sponge requires a feeding of phytoplankton twice a day.


I had it in the tank for a year, and I'm really, really mad it got sold with the tank for $500, when the snail alone was worth $1000+!

I couldn't find a picture of it on the web, but you can find the article on this snail in CORAL magazine volume 5, number 4.

 

[deadrock]

http://http://www.google.com/images...arch+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=
jon hates pics heres some pics for stomatella varia .
now i notice a few differant types pulled up as usual there is a little black and white one and then the type that looks like a triangle which one are you reffering to or is this a genus name

 

[jonthefb]

Species: Scutus sp. (possibly Scutus antipodes or Scutus unguis)
Comon Name(s): Shield Snail, Shield Limpet, Black Limpet, Elephant Slug
Size: Up to 4+ inches
Shape: Oval shaped, with long black mantle that enrobes the white shell. Long antenna and a rather large snout
Color: Black mantle with a slit along the dorsal side of the mantel often allowing the white shield-like shell on its back to be seen. Ventral side of the mollusk is white
Aquarium Habitat: Rock and glass, nocturnal
Origins: Indo Pacific
Food: Algal grazer
Method of Reproduction: Broadcast spawners.
Experiences/Notes: These snails often hitchike on live rock, and once established can breed succesfully in captivity. I recently bought 4 specimens from a shop who has them readily breeding in their systems.

Photos:

 

[jonthefb]

Species: Conomurex luhuanus, Strombus luhuanus
Comon Name(s): Tiger Conch, Strawberry Conch
Size: Up to 5"L x 2"W
Shape: Cone shaped with a very short spire. Ventral Side has a long thin aperture that the conch emerges/retracts from.
Color: White/cream undertone with orange blotches/stripes all over the shell. Ventral interior of the shell is always a salmony pink color. Ventral aperture has a dark brown/black line.
Aquarium Habitat: Substrate
Origins: Indo Pacific
Food: Diatom algaes, microalgaes, bacterial slimes
Method of Reproduction: Egg Layers
Experiences/Notes: These conchs spend lots of time under the sand substrate, and as such, should be provided with a nice thick sandbed. The conch has eyes set on eyestalks and its radula is set on a long proboscis that extends away from the shell as the conch hunts for food.

Photos:

 

[jonthefb]

Species: Vitta luteofasciata/Vittina luteofasciata
Comon Name(s): Nerite Snail
Size: Up to 1/2" in diameter
Shape: Pea shaped, roundish, aperture sits relatively flat. Very smooth shell
Color: Rainbow. Can be any varied color with dots, lines, swirls on the shell, and any combination.
Aquarium Habitat: Rock and glass, often burrowing below the substrate line as well.
Origins: Sea of Cortez
Food: Microalgaes, turf algaes, cyanobacteria.
Method of Reproduction: Egg layers.
Experiences/Notes: These snails, like most nerite snails are intertidal. They will often be found above water line in a home aquaria. They will also often be found in congregations at times, often in areas of high water flow. They lay eggs prolifically in an aquarium on rock and glass, but I have never personally seen baby nerites pop up in a tank.

Photos:

 

[Aku]

Here is a very quick and dirty one that I started on. Please change anything that is incorrect as I'm sure there is some of it.

Species: Cerithium atratum
Common Name: Florida Cerith
Size: 1.25”(Collected)L x .25”W x .25”T, grows to 1.75”L
Shape: Elongated spiral shell with spikes.
Color: Variable
Aquarium Habitat: Lives in the sand bottom near rocky reef areas.
Origins: Florida?
Food: Herbivore. Known for consumtion of red diatom and algae.
Method of Reproduction: Egg layers.
Experiences/Notes: Great for mixing up the sandbed, very hardy in reef aquaria.

Thanks to Rockys_Pride for the picture.

 

[chrislorentz]

Species: Collonista
Comon Name(s): Mini Turbo
Size: 1/8" - 1/4" im my experience
Shape: Roundish
Color: Mine mostly seem to be tan and brown checkerd pattern
Aquarium Habitat: Everywhere - glass, rocks, plastic, substrate, you name it.
Origins: I do believe they are found all over
Food: Algae grazers
Method of Reproduction: Broadcast spawners that reproduce readily in captivity. In most cases, this method means the young have very little chance of survival in home aquaria. However, in this case, they likely go through a very short planktonic/pelagic stage, so their chances are greatly improved.
Experiences/Notes: Vary in color and pattern from solid white to combinations of white with tan, brown, or even pink markings. If you’d like to confirm the ID, remove one of the snails and (using a magnifying glass) look for a hole/pit in the center of the the “trap door” in the opening of the snail. They reproduce well in aquaria, and are quite good grazers. If present in large numbers, they may effectively replace all other grazers in our systems. You will mostly see these at night as they are considered nocturnal. I do see mine in the day if I look hard for them on the Live Rock.

Photos: You can look them up on the internet I don't have a camera good enough to get good pictures.

I hope this is what you are looking for.

 

[jonthefb]

Species: Cerithium stercusmuscarum
Comon Name(s): Cerith Snail
Size: Up to 1 1/2" in length, 1/2" in diameter
Shape: Cone shaped, smooth shell, sometime found with minor bumps.
Color: Black, dark grey, or dark brown often with very fine white dots everywhere. The apex of the shell is almost always white in larger specimens.
Aquarium Habitat: Rock and glass, however primarily burrowing in the substrate
Origins: Sea of Cortez
Food: Microalgaes, turf algaes, cyanobacteria, detritus.
Method of Reproduction: Egg layers.
Experiences/Notes: These are some of the best cleaners for an aquarium. They spend a lot of their time in the substrate keeping the bacteria aerobic, while also eating diatoms, and other nuisance algaes and detritus. They often spawn in an aquarium, however the eggs take a decent amount of time to mature, and are often consumed by other tank inhabitants. These snails can right themselves if turned upside down.

Photos:

 

[jonthefb]

Species: Nassarius (Zeuxis) melanioides
Comon Name(s): Nassarius snail
Size: 2" in length, 3/4" in diameter
Shape: Cone shaped, smooth shell, very pronounced inner lip with teeth visible, ridged partly visible on spire near apex of shell.
Color: Black/grey
Aquarium Habitat: Substrate including sandbed
Origins: Indo-pacific, Australia
Food: Unknown, hopefully a scavenger/detritivore
Method of Reproduction: Unknown
Experiences/Notes: This snail recently showed up in an order of large nassarius snails. It immediately stood out because of its elongated shell and large inner lip. Because it was uniquie I decided to snap some pics before tossing it in my tank.

Photos:

 

[jonthefb]

Species: Nassarius sp?
Comon Name(s): Nassarius snail
Size: 1" in length, 1/2" in diameter
Shape: Cone shaped with defined ridges, very pronounced outer lip, whorls along spire visible but not pronounced
Color: Black/grey with a yellowish line following the whorl the entire length of the shell
Aquarium Habitat: Substrate including sandbed
Origins: Unknown
Food: Unknown, hopefully a scavenger/detritivore
Method of Reproduction: Unknown
Experiences/Notes: This snail recently showed up in an order of large nassarius snails. It immediately stood out because of its coloration and yellow stripe. Because it was uniquie I decided to snap some pics before tossing it in my tank.

Photos:

 

[jonthefb]

Species: Nassarius (Zeuxis) margaritiferus
Comon Name(s): Nassarius snail
Size: 1 1/2" in length, 3/4" in diameter
Shape: Squat and conicalCone shaped with defined small bumps all over the shell. Shell whorls are visible but not prominent
Color: White/cream undertone with red/black/green blotches all over the shell
Aquarium Habitat: Substrate including sandbed
Origins: Indo-Pacific
Food: Scavenger/Detritivore
Method of Reproduction: Unknown
Experiences/Notes: These nassarius snails are being imported regularly to Los Angeles based distributors.

Photos:

 

[jonthefb]

Species: Nassarius (Plicarcularia) bellulus
Comon Name(s): Nassarius snail
Size: 1 " in length, 5/8" in diameter
Shape: Conical shaped shell, however the side nearest the snail's aperture usually flattened. The inner and outer lip can often be well developed to make a flat base.
Color: White/cream undertone with black/green/yellow blotches/lines all over the shell
Aquarium Habitat: Substrate including sandbed
Origins: Indo-Pacific
Food: Scavenger/Detritivore
Method of Reproduction: Unknown
Experiences/Notes: These nassarius snails are being imported regularly to Los Angeles based distributors.

Photos:

 

[jonthefb]

Species: Nassarius (Zeuxis) fraudator vernicosa
Comon Name(s): Nassarius snail
Size: 1 " in length, 5/8" in diameter
Shape: Bulbous squat conical shaped shell with dominant whorls
Color: White/cream undertone with black/green/yellow blotches/lines all over the shell
Aquarium Habitat: Substrate including sandbed
Origins: Indo-Pacific
Food: Scavenger/Detritivore
Method of Reproduction: Unknown
Experiences/Notes: These nassarius snails are being imported regularly to Los Angeles based distributors.

Photos:

 

[jonthefb]

Species: Cypraea annulus
Comon Name(s): Money Cowrie
Size: Up to 1 1/4" in length, 3/4" in diameter
Shape: Oval shell, flat bottom with well defined teeth at aperture, extremely smooth, glassy appearance
Color: White/cream undertone with yellow ring surrounding dorsal side of shell.
Aquarium Habitat: Rocks and glass
Origins: Indian Ocean, Indo Pacific
Food: Herbivore feeding on many different types of algaes
Method of Reproduction: Unknown
Experiences/Notes: Money cowries are fantastic algivores, however are fairly uncommon in the trade. Like other cowries the have a robust mantle that can cover the majority of the shell. The mantle color is white with black stripes and has lots of little tentacles protruding from it. These cowries tend to be nocturnal and hide behind rocks/corals during the day.
Photos:

 

[jonthefb]

Species: Cittarium picta
Comon Name(s): Zebra Turbo Snail, Zebra Striped Turbo
Size: Up to 2 1/2" in length, 2" tall
Shape: Roundish compressed cone, large aperture, whorling definately present from body through to apex
Color: White/cream undertone with black/grey striping giving it its common name. Often with yellow or green highlights
Aquarium Habitat: Rocks and glass
Origins: Central America to the Bahamas
Food: Herbivore feeding on many different types of algaes
Method of Reproduction: Unknown
Experiences/Notes: Zebra turbos come from warmer waters than many of their Turbo bretheren, therefore giving them an advantage in reef aquaria. These snails are true workhorses when it comes to mowing down algae, however because they can reach large sizes, they may have a tendency to bulldoze rocks/corals that arent firmly attached. They have a horn-like protein operculum that is brown in color.

Photos:

 

[jonthefb]

Species: Trochus radiatus
Comon Name(s): Red Banded Trochus Snail
Size: Up to 1 1/4" in length, 1 1/4" tall
Shape: Pyramid shaped shell, with a fairly flat bottom
Color: White/cream undertone with maroon red/pink bands radiating from the apex of the shell. The Apex often is silver in color. The area around the aperture is white/cream with red/pink dots/dashes
Aquarium Habitat: Rocks and glass
Origins: Indian Ocean to Indo Pacific
Food: Herbivore feeding on many different types of algaes
Method of Reproduction: Broadcast spawners
Experiences/Notes: Red Band Trochus snails are some of my personal favorites. They are one of the only snails that can right themselves if they land on their backs on a sandbed. They have a voracious appetite for algae, however are very hard to come by in the hobby. Several hobbyists have had luck breeding them ending up with babies all over the tank.

Photos: