Before I go hunting through pages of shells...

[1F2FRFBF]

Does anybody recognize this little guy? I saw him crawling on my sandbed one evening and didn't think much of it, then lost track of him. I saw him again tonight and decided to grab him.

He's a little less than a quarter of an inch long. Seems to have characteristics of a whelk, but could it be a juvenile Nassarius?

Thanks in advance...

 

[Opcn]

It looks like a whelk.

 

[RicksReefs]

'strombus maculatus' good guy.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-07/rs/index.php

 

[1F2FRFBF]

Strombus makes sense. I do have a couple running around the tank somewhere now that I think about it. (I keep forgetting about them; I hope they don't take insult.)

Thank you!

 

[pagojoe]

Strombus maculatus, S. mutabilis and several other small conchs can look similar, but at that size, juvenile columbellids are hard to differentiate from the conchs. If it's a conch, it will have the elongated, pointed operculum. If it's a columbellid (Euplica scripta?), it will have the smaller, thinner operc.

Cheers,



Don