pyramid snails

[enemec1]

are there any good photos of them around?

 

[mbbuna]

http://www.reefland.com/rho/2006/05/identify_rissoid_pyramidellid_snails.php

 

[enemec1]

mbbuna how long did it take you to rid of them if that snail was in your tank at once?

 

[mbbuna]

about 3 to 4 months

 

[greenbean36191]

I found the answer!... and then left notes when I left for the holiday. Basically, the gist of the story is this: Back in 1949 and then in '62 two guys working on the group wrote about how these snails were extremely selective of their hosts. They proposed that this was a reason for the huge number of species in the group. That was widely believed for a long time (and apparently still is). In 1979 someone else did some feeding trials with several species of pyrams and found out that they aren't all that host specific. They offered something like 38 different species of potential host gastropods and bivalves to each pyramid species tested. Depending on the species of pyramid they tested, they fed on between 97% and 61% of the prey species offered. Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that the particular species found on snails and tridacnids in the hobby will switch, but it certainly implies that it's not impossible.

If anyone's interested I can post the citations in about a week when I get back from my trip.

 

[mbbuna]

thank you Greenbean you are the man

yes please post the reference

 

[greenbean36191]

The original article talking about their specificity is:
Fretter, V. and A. Graham. 1949. The structure and mode of life of the Pyramidellidae, parasitic opisthobranchs. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc.. 28: 493.

The same guys had another paper in 1962 that apparently repeated their earlier conclusion, but I haven't seen it and like a dummy I didn't write down the citation for it.

The feeding trial article is:
Robertson, R. and and T. Mau-Lastovicka. 1979. The ectoparasitism of Boonea and Fargoa (Gastropoda: Pyramidellacea). Bio. Bull. 157(2): 320-333.

 

[mbbuna]

thanks Greenbean