Phrikoceros mopsus- A Tridacna clam predator

[JackKerouac]

Hello guys,
Last night I found my Tridacna clam sofferent.
I took it out the tank and I found this damn Platyhelminth inside my clam.
Untill two days ago the clam was health ,I've got it two years ago and it was only 1 inch ,he did grow up good more than 5 inches
I'm so sad and I hope that this post could be useful for all of you.
It's very difficoult to find it and outside water it looks like a sponge on the Tridacna

 

[JackKerouac]

 

[JackKerouac]

I'm sorry I still don't know how to post pictures -.-

 

[xinumaster]

Wow! That was a very nice looking clam. Can you just brush the Platyhelminth to get it out of the clam?

Thanks for sharing by the way.

 

[JackKerouac]

sure if you are luckier than me and you see it before it kills the clam you can remove it manually

 

[ezcompany]

what the hey......they're not posting......is this a photobucket thing?

stupid photobucket....

 

[JackKerouac]

I try for the last one to post a pic then I give up LOL
sry if it doesn't work again

 

[JackKerouac]

thanks EZ well I did upload the pic on my photogallery on RC too but it doesnt' work anyway :O
Glad you were able to do it

 

[acrodave]

what is that . is it a flat worm

 

[mbbuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10516907#post10516907 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by acrodave
what is that . is it a flat worm

yes, its a polyclad flatworm

 

[DrDNA]

yikes! anyone know how common these are?

 

[acrodave]

how do u miss something that big

 

[mbbuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10517495#post10517495 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DrDNA
yikes! anyone know how common these are?

there not very common

 

[mbbuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10517589#post10517589 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by acrodave
how do u miss something that big

they stand out pretty good on a white background but on a piece of LR you would never see it. and iirc they are nocturnal

 

[acrodave]

do they come in on clams or do they come in on lr

 

[mbbuna]

they can come in on anything. that why you should always QT everything

 

[acrodave]

will they eat any thing other than clams

 

[mbbuna]

they are a mollusk predator

everything you ever wanted to know about polyclads

http://www.rzuser.uni-heidelberg.de/~bu6/flatintr.htm

 

[Grins]

So sorry you lost your clam.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

what species clam?
how long did you have it?