Pago, got a snail ID for ya :)
- Thread starter JokerGirl
- Start date
pagojoe
Team RC
Hi JokerGirl,
Your snail is Euchelus atratus, which means "Attractive Euchelus," and it's pretty alright. (Hardy's page uses the common name "Blackish Margarite." ) It's historically been considered to belong to the trochid family, but it's been recently moved to the family Chilodontidae. I presume it's a vegetarian, but I have found clusters of them under rocks that were encrusted with sponge, and not much algae in sight. It certainly shouldn't be eating your hammer coral, in any case, and I'd bet it's reef safe. The operculum should look like a transparent amber disc, except for a large dark dot in the middle (while it's still attached to the animal...it's the animal's coloring showing through). Here's the link to Eddie Hardy's page, although it shows some shells that are probably related species and not Euchelus atratus:
http://www.gastropods.com/5/Shell_8265.html
Most of the shells on this page aren't black, but every one I've found that I could definitely ID as this species has been black, like yours.
Cheers,
Don
Your snail is Euchelus atratus, which means "Attractive Euchelus," and it's pretty alright. (Hardy's page uses the common name "Blackish Margarite." ) It's historically been considered to belong to the trochid family, but it's been recently moved to the family Chilodontidae. I presume it's a vegetarian, but I have found clusters of them under rocks that were encrusted with sponge, and not much algae in sight. It certainly shouldn't be eating your hammer coral, in any case, and I'd bet it's reef safe. The operculum should look like a transparent amber disc, except for a large dark dot in the middle (while it's still attached to the animal...it's the animal's coloring showing through). Here's the link to Eddie Hardy's page, although it shows some shells that are probably related species and not Euchelus atratus:
http://www.gastropods.com/5/Shell_8265.html
Most of the shells on this page aren't black, but every one I've found that I could definitely ID as this species has been black, like yours.
Cheers,
Don
