Nassarius or Whelk?

[J. Montgomery]

Over the summer I boosted my clean up crew, which included a number of Tonga Nassarius snails. Last night I spotted one that didn't look quite like the others. I'm suspicious that it may be a whelk in disguise. I have been losing snails at a faster than normal pace in the past few months.

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t133/baronpsjosh/MysterySnail.jpg

Not pictured, but it did have an operculum if that helps with an id. Just to be on the safe side I grabbed it and placed it in my hang-on refugium before it could go into hiding again.

Thanks for any help.

[redvicki]

If you have SPS have you noticed any damage to them?

[J. Montgomery]

I've lost a prostrata colony and milli frag recently :(

Though I have no reason to think they're related.

[redvicki]

Well I'm knew at this but that's how I caught my Whelk snail. I was catching him chowing down on my SPS every morning when I got up. I kept asking and was told that snails didn't eat corals. I finally decided that I knew it was and pulled it out and posted a picture. That's when it got IDed as a whelk. Mine had a very strange looking tail end. Open and pointy and looked like green sand paper. I don't know if I've helped any but if you are losing corals and have a strange snail I'd say pull it out. Better safe than sorry.

[pagojoe]

It's Nassarius distortus. Probably the third or fourth most common species sold to the aquarium crowd.

http://www.gastropods.com/9/Shell_3309.html

Cheers,




Don

[J. Montgomery]

Thanks, Don :thumbsup: