name that cowrie

[mummra100769]

i found this guy a couple of days ago.does anybody know the scientific name of this critter.does anybody know if they are bad,it is in my zoo only tank and i never see him hurting anything.

i do not even know if it is a cowrie but the mantle covers the entire shell.
what are the polyp looking things?

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

It's hard to tell the exact species of cowrie from the underside. Can you get a shot of the top of it?

 

[mummra100769]

i will but he is a hard critter to photograph.he is mainly out at night.i saw him sticking out of a rock one day and thought i had some kind of new coral or sponge growing because all i could see was the mantle

 

[Snail Guy]

mummra100769, if the photograph is not possible, more details are necessary:

what is the overal color of the mantle? and the shell?
what is the approximate length of the shell?

If you can get attempt another photograph, a flash will help with providing more natural colors.

 

[mummra100769]

here we are.

here we are.

like on my command he came out today so here is the best pic i could get

 

[Snail Guy]

Hi,

It appears to be an immature specimen, likely in the bulla stage of development. You did not mention approximate length of the shell...that will help too. I'm presuming this specimen is not too large...perhaps 3/4" ? While I can't place an immediate ID on this specimen, with cowries, the mantle and papillae are very useful for keying species, especially among closely related species. I'll review my references...there's still a good chance I can help place a positive id...but no promises.

Cheers,
Bob

 

[mummra100769]

thank you very much.it is about 3/4 to an inch in lengh.i would also like to know if it should stay or go.it is in a zoanthid dominated tank.

 

[Snail Guy]

After going through a number of references, I confess that I'm stumped on this one. As the animal matures and the shell takes on adult characteristics, identification should become simpler.

So, without knowing which species, its difficult to know what its preferred diet is. I would just maintain a close eye on it, especially at night.

Cheers,
Bob

 

[mummra100769]

hey thanx bob.i never see him attacking anything,but i never see fim eating anything,thanx again