pyramid snails on turbos?

[Omar H]

Today I saw something really ugly.

A turbo snail infested by what appears to be pyramid snails. Hence my question...What other animals will pryamid snails attack?

Since this was at a friend`s tank, I don`t have a picture, but it had a bunch of small white rice grain looking like snails. All near the fleshy part of the snail. He (my friend) has never had any clams, so those did not hitchike on a clam for sure.

Omar

 

[jmicky41]

i had the exact same thing happen to me last month. I picked the snails off, but unfortunately the turbo still died. The other turbos weren't affected.

 

[Snail Guy]

A couple references to to share:
In Hawaiian Marine Shells (E. Alison Kay), she states:

In habit many pyramidellids are ectoparasitic on polychaete worms, bivalves, and other gastropods.

In Marine Shells of the Pacific (Walter Cernohorsky), he states:

Animals have a long retractable proboscis which does not contain a radular ribbon and is adapted for suctorial feeding. Tropical Pacific Pyramidellidae live in coral sand or on a coral-rubble substrate and a few species are parasitic. Species are fairly numberous and widely distributed.

Identifying species is often a difficult proposition.
Hope this helps answer your question.

Cheers,
Bob

 

[racrumrine]

I have read on these forums that some of them prefer snails and some prefer clams. Usually, they won't jump from clam to snail and visa versa.

Dr Ron has written several times about them.

Best of luck,

Roy