ID this snail please...

[Pea-brain]

I'm gonna have to give you the best descripion I can without a pictre. I tried to get a picture but couldn't in the dark. I'll try again tomorrow night.

Anyways, it has a completely black shell and a siphon like a nass snail. The siphon has 2 vertical stripes on it. It seems to be completely nocturnal. the shell is like a really stocky cerith snail. Kinda wide and pointy. I don't remember where I got it. It used to hang out in a pit of a rock all day. I figured it was dead, but if I moved the shell it'd be in the same place the next day. Right now I don't know where it hangs out during the day. I'm pretty sure its not a burrower though. I have lost snails every once in a while, so this may be the culprit, though I'm not sure. I'll try to get a pic but until I can any ideas? Thanks.

Dan

 

[JetCat USA]

Whelks maybe?

 

[Pea-brain]

It has a shell shape like a whelk, but I can't seem to find a picture of it in the first 7 or so pages of google images (Using the search term whelk or black whelk). One or two shells are similar. Looks a bit like a new england dog whelk by shape, but is longer than they are supposed to get I think and has a few other diff. like the texture of the shell and the color (the darkest is supposedly dark brown). I'd like to get a good ID to see whether its harmful or not....

Dan

 

[JetCat USA]

does it have pupils and iris's on the eyes or just dark dots??

 

[billsreef]

Going to need a decent picture or two. Best is if you can take it out and take a picture of both the topside and bottom side of the opening. In the tank shot, use flash if needed but shoot at a slight angle to the tank to avoid the glare from the flash.

 

[Pea-brain]

Well last night I looked in the tank to find the mystery snail cruzing on the glass, right towards a nass snail on the glass. It got near it, probed it with its siphon, and stopped (Thinking or something) before lurching backwards and lunging at the snail (As best a snail can lunge IMO) the nass let go and fell to the sand before it got caught. I guess it could def. be my snail eater from that. I kinda want it to be a cone snail in a wierd way. I know it isn't, but wouldn't it be cool? ANyways I took some pics and threw it in a critter carrier in my tank until I know whether its cool enough to save. here are the pics I got.

Dan

 

[Pea-brain]

Another pic

Dan

 

[greenbean36191]

Yes, it's a whelk, which one I can't tell. I'm not sure where Don is, but he'll be able to give you a better ID when he gets back. I wouldn't leave it in the tank until then though. It's definitely not a good guy.

 

[Pea-brain]

Oh, and rejoice, for we have a whelk and his/her/its child. Thats right, I found a baby. I took it out and its cooling with the larger one for now. At first i thought it mighta hitched on some new rock I added yesterday, but no its a mini replica of the adult, cept it was out during lights on (though in the shade)......

Dan