ID please - Orange and green snail.

[inselaffe]

Can anyone id this snail. The colour would say its poisonous. Some what cone like is my worry.

 

[pagojoe]

That's extraordinarily cool, but I'm going to need you to take it out of the tank and photograph it in a shallow dish of water to have a good chance at ID'ing it. I would take a stab at it anyway, except that every pic makes it look like something different. Some of the pics DO make it look like a Conus species, but I know what the animals of most of them look like, and don't know of any with that color pattern. The yellow or orange spots are typical of some mitrids, mostly genus Nebularia. But, the shell looks like a miter from a different genus (Strigatella). It might actually be a juvenile volute, although that would be an exceptionally rare hitchhiker. It's going to likely be a worm eater at its present size, whichever it is (assuming it's not a cone snail, and I'm fairly certain it's not). It's a juvenile, and that always makes identification a little more difficult. See if you can get some clear pics of the dorsum and ventrum in a dish of water?

Cheers,


Don

 

[inselaffe]

Thanks Don, I will try and get more pictures when I can find the little sod again,

I had a Yasha pair in the tank (the only fish) and they both jumped when they were happy living with there randalls pistol shrimp so I thought maybe the snail was after them, I will try and find him and take some pictures for you.

Oh and he doesn't seem to retract into his shell if you pick him up, dont know if that will help.

 

[pagojoe]

It kind of helps. Makes me think it is more likely a baby volute, which I've never seen as a hitchhiker. It will be a lot easier to ID when it gets a bit larger.


Don

 

[inselaffe]

Hi Don, it wasn't a hitch hiker it was sold to me as a type of nassarius snail, but since adding it the fish have jumped so im trying to work out what it is and if the shop are partly at fault or not.

Here are some more pics if they help

 

[J2T]

Not sure what it is but is sure is a pretty animal

 

[inselaffe]

Yep thats also another reason on why I need a good id so I can move it onto the right home and right care for it. As at the moment my tank will remain fishless until I can get an id as it may well be a fish eater.

 

[pagojoe]

It does help, and it is absolutely a juvenile volute. How cool! I hope it survives to adulthood. It will be predatory, but worth the effort to feed it I think. It will probably either eat snails or crustaceans, but not live fish or coral. I'll see if I can find a pattern match on the animal, since the shell could easily be either a Melo or Cymbiola or even some other kind of volute like Livonia.

Cheers,



Don

 

[pagojoe]

I think it's Cymbiola nobilis. Pattern on the shell and animal are pretty good matches:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&....5j3j0j1.9.0....0.0..1ac.1.20.img.uSVecaVUxOE

It should eat clams and other snails, and maybe crabs.

Did it come from Indonesia?

Cheers,



Don

 

[gnasher]

Awesome!

 

[inselaffe]

That seems spot on, the shops not sure where it came from as the bought it from the whole sale in the UK from TMC,

How ever it never ate any of the snails in the tank, and all crustys are accounted for (not seem pistol shrimp though)

I have moved him into the sump and will see if i can find him a good home.