Id

[Bowman]

Anyone have any information on an Invertebrate "Crytoplax larvaeformis" I believe I found one in my tank last night. I found a close illistration in Julian Sprung's Invert book. It is about the size of your little finger 2" - 2 1/2" long, 1/2" in Diameter. It has a leathery type skin and a row of what looks like plates or points along the top length and a white cartaledge looking thing running the lenght of the underside. It resembles a garden slug. I will try to post photo's.

 

[Bowman]

here are the pics I was able to get, more in my gallery.
[url]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/12229P3040016.jpg[/url][img]
[img] [url]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/12229P3040011.jpg [/url][img]
[img] [url]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/12229P3040015.jpg[/url][img]

 

[sagi]

John are these your pics? Have you touched it? Does it have a defined head (eyes, mouth)? It looks more like a mollusk than a worm.

 

[itZme]

John,
Looks like you correctly ID'd the little booger. Here's a pic I found at this link

and another

I found it is actually spelled Cryptoplax larvaeformis and found THIS INFO on them.

"Nothing is known about the microhabitat role of Indo-Pacific corallines. However, the most common species in the region, Hydrolithon onkodes, often forms an intimate relationship with the chiton Cryptoplax larvaeformis. The chiton lives in burrows that it makes in H. onkodes plants, and comes out at night to graze on the surface of the coralline. This combination of grazing and burrowing results in a peculiar growth form (called castles) in H. onkodes in which the coralline produces nearly vertical, irregularly curved lamellae."

So, it sounds like it will not harm anything but may eat some coralline algae.
There were a few more pages of links on Google.com once you get the spelling just right on your search terms.

-- Kevin

BTW, nice pics! Is that from your Olympus C2100UZ? I have the same cam and saw you with yours at a meeting once. Wish I could find a newer higher-resolution cam with all the features and the threaded lens adapter for less than $800. Looking at maybe a Sony CyberShot DSC-H1 but it doesn't have a manual focus setting

 

[Bowman]

Thanks for the input and info couldn't identify it and didn't know if it was harmful or not. Sure looked it though.