Horse conch?

[andrewk529]

i think i purchased a miss-labeld fighthing conch at a LFS. upon further googling it seems as if i've introduced a predetory horse conch. the picture below is the unidentified "conch". Its mainly active at nite while burrying into my sand bed during the daylight.

 

[Airwolf75]

Looks kinda like a Triton's Trumpet Conch. You can feed it starfish and turn it into a musical instrument later.

 

[pagojoe]

I think it's a muricid. Horse Conchs nomally have red animals, and Tritons have spotted/ocellated animals. Can you get a pic of the aperture, with the animal withdrawn?

Cheers,


Don

 

[andrewk529]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15430526#post15430526 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pagojoe
I think it's a muricid. Horse Conchs nomally have red animals, and Tritons have spotted/ocellated animals. Can you get a pic of the aperture, with the animal withdrawn?

Cheers,


Don

i'll take some pics after i capture it tonight...you don't think its Latirus polygonus?

 

[pagojoe]

It could be an odd Latirus polygonus, but that species usually doesn't have the double row of bumps on the shoulder, has a more acute edge to the shoulder, and it usually isn't that slender. The spire looks a good bit like that species, except for how elevated it is, but the body whorl looks very different from the "standard" L. polygonus. L. polygonus has a dark red animal, also. Is yours red?

Cheers,



Don

 

[andrewk529]

took some more pics hope this helps

 

[pagojoe]

Is the animal dark red?

 

[andrewk529]

it has some red coloration on the spine but i wouldn't say its completely red

took a video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUup7sKkkUs

 

[pagojoe]

Yeah, it's definitely a predatory snail, but I'm relatively certain it's not a fasciolariid. The Latirus species almost all have an extended siphonal canal, or "stem," even if it's short. Yours has essentially none at all. The outer lip is rather smoothly convex, without the constriction toward the siphonal canal as well. Many of the buccinids as well as the muricids show this characteristic, but I think yours is a muricid, even though I can't find a perfect match. It's probably a Nucella (Acanthina) species or in the same subfamily. If I knew it's true origin I could probably track it down, but I've hit quite a few references already without seeing anything that really "that's me." If I find it, I'll let you know. It's going to be a mollusc eater.

Cheers,



Don

 

[andrewk529]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15441304#post15441304 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pagojoe
Yeah, it's definitely a predatory snail, but I'm relatively certain it's not a fasciolariid. The Latirus species almost all have an extended siphonal canal, or "stem," even if it's short. Yours has essentially none at all. The outer lip is rather smoothly convex, without the constriction toward the siphonal canal as well. Many of the buccinids as well as the muricids show this characteristic, but I think yours is a muricid, even though I can't find a perfect match. It's probably a Nucella (Acanthina) species or in the same subfamily. If I knew it's true origin I could probably track it down, but I've hit quite a few references already without seeing anything that really "that's me." If I find it, I'll let you know. It's going to be a mollusc eater.

Cheers,



Don

thanks for your help..i'm going to return the snail back to the LFS

 

[andrewk529]

finally nailed down the culprit the mystery creature is whelk in the genus Cantharus

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-11/rs/index.php

 

[pagojoe]

Yeah, I looked through the Cantharus species without finding one I thought was a good match. It certainly has the correct outline for some of the species.

Cheers,


Don