Snot enclosed blob monster - Please ID... if possible.

[wetjet43]

Okay, I woke up this morning, and this was stuck to the side of the live rock with a 100% clear nasty snot like substance all over the place. Whatever it is, it's NOT going back into the tank to morph into some life sucking face-huger that plants little alien embryos into all of my little (expensive) critters.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj151/wetjet43/blobmonster.jpg

[greenbean36191]

I'm not sure what's up with the snot, but it looks like the critter inside is a small Cryptoplax chiton.

[VacavilleFC3S]

chitons are good..

[wetjet43]

I have a chiton in my tank already. It crawled into a hole about a month ago and hasn't moved since. It's still alive, I keep checking.

[pagojoe]

Yep, that's a small Cryptoplax chiton in the blob, or at least part of one. It looks like something might have been in the process of eating him, and didn't quite finish the job? At least, it LOOKS like the chiton is too wide for it's length for it to be whole...???

Cheers,



Don

[LeslieH]

The mollusc-eating polychaete Oenone fulgida & it's cogeners cover their prey with slime. Perhaps that's what happened here.

[pagojoe]

Thanks Leslie. I've seen snail shells and partially-eaten animal parts in the blobs before, but never made the worm connection. I've often seen Oenone fulgida or similar worms in the same areas though, so it makes perfect sense.

Cheers,



Don

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13295452#post13295452 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LeslieH
The mollusc-eating polychaete Oenone fulgida & it's cogeners cover their prey with slime. Perhaps that's what happened here.
I'll second that. Definitely a baby Cryptoplax inside that blob of snot.
I've seen this before. It can happen with Chitons, Urchins etc.
Basically anything. Imagine a long spine urchin getting slimed and eaten by a worm. It happens.