symbiotic snails

[philbo32]

Hi, has anyone heard of a small snail/limpet living on the underside of another snail like a parasite. I've never seen this before, but my girlfriend noticed it on one of our starshells.

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/1582/dsc00834q.jpg

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/4051/dsc00835o.jpg

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/4850/dsc00836o.jpg

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/4193/dsc00837v.jpg

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/1125/dsc00838s.jpg

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/9770/dsc00839i.jpg

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/1781/dsc00840j.jpg


It doesn't seem to be doing any harm to the starshell and looks more like a symbiosis, sort of hitch hiking. Both snails are feeding on the thin layer of algae on the glass in my lagoon tank.

Has anyone seen one of these before or knows what it is?

[mscarpena]

I have heard of it. I really do not know much about it though. If they are both eating algae I would not worry about it too much. Very neat. Thanks for sharing the pics.

[AJSTITAN14]

I've had a limpet on one of my turbos ever since I got my last batch of live rock. No problems so far.

[philbo32]

Does anyone know what this symbiotic limpet/snail is called (species name/common name)?

[philbo32]

I have been told that it is a Hipponix species, I have just googled it and think it looks like it's either Hipponix australis or Malluvium devotum or similar species. These species belong to the group Hipponicidae (parasitic limpets). It's a shame theres not a massive amount of literature about this group.

Hipponix australis (http://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Hipponicidae/Pages/Hipponix_australis.htm)

Malluvium devotus (http://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Hipponicidae/Pages/Malluvium_devotum.htm)

Phil