Snail ID Please (w/ pics)
- Thread starter ed4
- Start date
pagojoe
Team RC
By the way, Ed, if you can catch it and take it out of the tank to photograph it in a dish of water with the mantle withdrawn, I'll be able to tell instantly which family it belongs to, and might have a better chance of giving you a species-level ID on it. Most of my references show the shells rather than the living animals. If you take it out and just touch it with your finger, it should instantly withdraw the mantle. It's a very neat snail in any case, even if it turns out to be one of the soft-coral feeders.
Cheers,
Don
Cheers,
Don
ed4
Red Hot Spender
This was the closest match by mhills16:
(Text taken from The Austrailian Museum Online)
Egg-cowries (Ovulidae) are a group of snails which feed on soft-corals. In most cases they have evolved flaps of skin which almost completely cover the shell. Often the skin flaps are brightly coloured, in some species as camouflage. In this species it is thought the bright colours are a warning to potential predators. Soft-corals have many poisonous chemicals in their tissues and egg-cowries take some and store them in their skin (25mm).
Mine is remarkibly very close to the picture above, except for the elaborate pattern on the foot and the depth of the color.
(Text taken from The Austrailian Museum Online)
Egg-cowries (Ovulidae) are a group of snails which feed on soft-corals. In most cases they have evolved flaps of skin which almost completely cover the shell. Often the skin flaps are brightly coloured, in some species as camouflage. In this species it is thought the bright colours are a warning to potential predators. Soft-corals have many poisonous chemicals in their tissues and egg-cowries take some and store them in their skin (25mm).
Mine is remarkibly very close to the picture above, except for the elaborate pattern on the foot and the depth of the color.
pagojoe
Team RC
Right, it probably is. It's likely a Prionovula species, although there are a couple of other closely-related genera that have markings on the margin of the foot that are similar to yours. Leslie has a pretty good collection of living animal photos of ovulids, so she may be able to hop in with a positive ID.
The snail in Bill Rudman's pic is a juvenile Ovula ovum, a snail that grows to over four inches long, which looks to be about.. 3.75 inches longer than yours. I thought mhills might have been looking at a different ovulid photo that was linked on that page.
http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=ovulids
Good luck catching the little guy!
Cheers again,
Don
The snail in Bill Rudman's pic is a juvenile Ovula ovum, a snail that grows to over four inches long, which looks to be about.. 3.75 inches longer than yours. I thought mhills might have been looking at a different ovulid photo that was linked on that page.
http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=ovulids
Good luck catching the little guy!
Cheers again,
Don
ed4
Red Hot Spender
I'm checking my sump periodically to see *if* it surfaces. I'll scoop it onto a clean surface so I can get some better pictures of it. I'll also prod it so the mantle retracts into the shell.
I feel that unless it can subsist on detritus, which I'm starting to doubt, it'll be on the same status as the Flamingo Cowrie. I hope this guy hasn't become bristle worm & 'pod food.
I feel that unless it can subsist on detritus, which I'm starting to doubt, it'll be on the same status as the Flamingo Cowrie. I hope this guy hasn't become bristle worm & 'pod food.
ed4
Red Hot Spender
So now that I'm starting to feel like an attention wh_re (rhymes w/ boar), so here's what's I've found. And it blows the mind!
This guy started in my 'fuge. Now either it made its way into the display, or its another one. I didn't want to stir up my fuge, but I had to check. I can't find it in there!
The only logical way back into my display, from the refugium, are as follows:
-it made its way into my return line (unlikely theory in itself, unless its 'pod sized). It would have to endure an 1800GPH return pump, check valve & Sea Swirl (somewhat unlikely - especially avoiding a crushing blow from the pump impeller)
-it crawled against the gravity-pulled water from my overflow, from the first chamber of the sump, also avoiding the suction feeding an 1000GPH pressure pump that drives my downdraft skimmer and up the return hose and over the overflow box (extremely unlikely).
-it climbed out of the 'fuge, along dry surface, and dropped into the tank (most-highly unlikely, simply ridiculous)
-at night, either the passed-out, lazy, easily-freaked-out, holy-princess girlfriend or mystical & considerate little elves pulled it from the fuge and dropped it into the display.
Either way I have no idea how it got there. I guess you'll have to take my word that it was in the 'fuge from the get-go.
I had to wait ~10 minutes to crawl out to the open...
This guy started in my 'fuge. Now either it made its way into the display, or its another one. I didn't want to stir up my fuge, but I had to check. I can't find it in there!
The only logical way back into my display, from the refugium, are as follows:
-it made its way into my return line (unlikely theory in itself, unless its 'pod sized). It would have to endure an 1800GPH return pump, check valve & Sea Swirl (somewhat unlikely - especially avoiding a crushing blow from the pump impeller)
-it crawled against the gravity-pulled water from my overflow, from the first chamber of the sump, also avoiding the suction feeding an 1000GPH pressure pump that drives my downdraft skimmer and up the return hose and over the overflow box (extremely unlikely).
-it climbed out of the 'fuge, along dry surface, and dropped into the tank (most-highly unlikely, simply ridiculous)
-at night, either the passed-out, lazy, easily-freaked-out, holy-princess girlfriend or mystical & considerate little elves pulled it from the fuge and dropped it into the display.
Either way I have no idea how it got there. I guess you'll have to take my word that it was in the 'fuge from the get-go.
I had to wait ~10 minutes to crawl out to the open...
pagojoe
Team RC
Well, that's a bizarre story, whichever way it winds up! I'd guess the chances were better that you have more than one, especially if you bought any of your Ricordias from the same place that you got your little ovulid. It is an ovulid, for sure.
I did a bit of color correction on the third to last pic, and that's a pretty good ID pic. There are several possibilities, but I think the most likely candidates are Pseudosimnia whitworthi and Pseudosimnia nielseni, judging by shell characteristics. Both are small, have the six dots on the dorsum, as well as the smeared color bands across the shell.
http://www.gastropods.com/8/Shell_5508.html
http://www.gastropods.com/1/Shell_6961.html
Here is a live photo that is supposed to be Pseudosimnia whitworthi:
http://www.whiteheadimages.com/stock/v/thereef/molluscs/Hetereobranchia/_WHT1275.jpg.html
The live animal looks very different from yours, so if it is correctly identified, that may be an indication that yours belongs in the genus Prionovolva, or some other genus, after all:
http://www.gastropods.com/7/Shell_11217.html
http://www.aquarium.co.jp/shell/gallery/murakumokodamausagi.jpg
If you could see all of the shell, including the anterior and posterior tips, you could probably tell for sure which genus it belongs to. It could also belong to a few other genera, including Testudovolva and Primovula. If it's a Primovula, the shell should have some fine sculpture rather than being entirely smooth across the dorsum. Other possibilities for comparison:
http://www.gastropods.com/5/Shell_11955.html
http://www.aquarium.co.jp/shell/gallery/hyouzi.php?nakama=umiusagi
Living ovulid ID's that you find on the web are not always accurate, so keep this in mind as you look at the pics. The shell ID's are more likely to be correct. You can see the amount of disagreement between knowledgeable sources over a single ovulid similar to yours in the following series of posts:
http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=14093&hl=ovulid
It's an interesting find, and was fun trying to track it down. If I find out anything more specific, I'll post it here later. Let us know if you have another one that turns up in your fuge
Cheers,
Don
I did a bit of color correction on the third to last pic, and that's a pretty good ID pic. There are several possibilities, but I think the most likely candidates are Pseudosimnia whitworthi and Pseudosimnia nielseni, judging by shell characteristics. Both are small, have the six dots on the dorsum, as well as the smeared color bands across the shell.
http://www.gastropods.com/8/Shell_5508.html
http://www.gastropods.com/1/Shell_6961.html
Here is a live photo that is supposed to be Pseudosimnia whitworthi:
http://www.whiteheadimages.com/stock/v/thereef/molluscs/Hetereobranchia/_WHT1275.jpg.html
The live animal looks very different from yours, so if it is correctly identified, that may be an indication that yours belongs in the genus Prionovolva, or some other genus, after all:
http://www.gastropods.com/7/Shell_11217.html
http://www.aquarium.co.jp/shell/gallery/murakumokodamausagi.jpg
If you could see all of the shell, including the anterior and posterior tips, you could probably tell for sure which genus it belongs to. It could also belong to a few other genera, including Testudovolva and Primovula. If it's a Primovula, the shell should have some fine sculpture rather than being entirely smooth across the dorsum. Other possibilities for comparison:
http://www.gastropods.com/5/Shell_11955.html
http://www.aquarium.co.jp/shell/gallery/hyouzi.php?nakama=umiusagi
Living ovulid ID's that you find on the web are not always accurate, so keep this in mind as you look at the pics. The shell ID's are more likely to be correct. You can see the amount of disagreement between knowledgeable sources over a single ovulid similar to yours in the following series of posts:
http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=14093&hl=ovulid
It's an interesting find, and was fun trying to track it down. If I find out anything more specific, I'll post it here later. Let us know if you have another one that turns up in your fuge
Cheers,
Don
ed4
Red Hot Spender
I just wanted to put up a quick update.
I still haven't found the one in the refugium. The one I found a while back in the display tank is still alive. It always stays near my toadstool leather coral but doesn't want to come any closer then 2" to it. Finding it in the tank is easy because of which...
I have 3 Ricordia Yumas in the tank, which is a good distance from the toadstool, that the ovolid haven't found. I'll keep my eye on it.
Thanks for reading.
I still haven't found the one in the refugium. The one I found a while back in the display tank is still alive. It always stays near my toadstool leather coral but doesn't want to come any closer then 2" to it. Finding it in the tank is easy because of which...
I have 3 Ricordia Yumas in the tank, which is a good distance from the toadstool, that the ovolid haven't found. I'll keep my eye on it.
Thanks for reading.
ed4
Red Hot Spender
Another update:
This ovulid is still alive and seems healthy. At this point I'm assuming that its likely sustainable.
It has climbed onto the stalk of my toadstool leather coral a few times. On these occasions, the toadstool still showed great poylp extension. Everytime, the ovulid climbed off on its own and no marks were left on the points of contact.
I've observed two most interesting things about it recently.
First, it'll cast out a matrix of stringy slime in an area, very similar to a spider web, on the surface of the live rock. This happens about once a week. The area of this slime web is roughtly about a 1.5" square. Maybe it's purpuse is to catch food? Pehaps it consumes the collected biofilm? I haven't seen it eat it. With the mass mob I have of stomatella, mixed snails, varied hemits & 'pods, anything could've removed it. It's also possible that either the current eventually pulled it off or it disintergrated. Also, I have very diet-openminded and nosey blennies.
The second, when this thing wants to move around, it'll detach itself from the substrate and "float" in the water column. I've observed this numerous times. It seems to do an outstanding job maintaining a good bouyancy, to stay mid-level and catch onto new surface. It's also seemingly possible to me that when I first banished this thing into my sump, it floated itself over a acrylic partition, which was about 0.5" overflowing at the time, and into the return pump. If this theory is true, this thing is lucky the impeller didn't turn it's shell into coarse & shiny sand.
I wonder if these observed behavior can be backed up by scientific documentation on similar ovulids.
Don, greenbean do you guys know of a place that might keep this kind of info?
This ovulid is still alive and seems healthy. At this point I'm assuming that its likely sustainable.
It has climbed onto the stalk of my toadstool leather coral a few times. On these occasions, the toadstool still showed great poylp extension. Everytime, the ovulid climbed off on its own and no marks were left on the points of contact.
I've observed two most interesting things about it recently.
First, it'll cast out a matrix of stringy slime in an area, very similar to a spider web, on the surface of the live rock. This happens about once a week. The area of this slime web is roughtly about a 1.5" square. Maybe it's purpuse is to catch food? Pehaps it consumes the collected biofilm? I haven't seen it eat it. With the mass mob I have of stomatella, mixed snails, varied hemits & 'pods, anything could've removed it. It's also possible that either the current eventually pulled it off or it disintergrated. Also, I have very diet-openminded and nosey blennies.
The second, when this thing wants to move around, it'll detach itself from the substrate and "float" in the water column. I've observed this numerous times. It seems to do an outstanding job maintaining a good bouyancy, to stay mid-level and catch onto new surface. It's also seemingly possible to me that when I first banished this thing into my sump, it floated itself over a acrylic partition, which was about 0.5" overflowing at the time, and into the return pump. If this theory is true, this thing is lucky the impeller didn't turn it's shell into coarse & shiny sand.
I wonder if these observed behavior can be backed up by scientific documentation on similar ovulids.
Don, greenbean do you guys know of a place that might keep this kind of info?
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