Snail ID Please?

[Omega_rains]

I have had a few fish lately come up missing - I bought 3 of these snails at the LFS about a month ago. I was told they were a type of sand sifting conch.. I am thinking otherwise - I had a Albi Angel on the bottom and one crawled up to in and looked like it stuck it with something, the Angel then curleed up on a half moon and this snail pulled it under the substrate.

<a href="http://s857.photobucket.com/albums/ab139/cosmo48045/?action=view&current=photo-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab139/cosmo48045/photo-1.jpg" border="0" alt="snail"></a>

 

[Omega_rains]

I have had a few fish lately come up missing - I bought 3 of these snails at the LFS about a month ago. I was told they were a type of sand sifting conch.. I am thinking otherwise - I had a Albi Angel on the bottom and one crawled up to in and looked like it stuck it with something, the Angel then curleed up on a half moon and this snail pulled it under the substrate.

<a href="http://s857.photobucket.com/albums/ab139/cosmo48045/?action=view&current=photo-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab139/cosmo48045/photo-1.jpg" border="0" alt="snail"></a>

These snails are about 2 to 2.50 inches long. I was looking undr cone shells but I could not find an exact match..

 

[Omega_rains]

These snails are about 2 to 2.50 inches long. I was looking undr cone shells but I could not find an exact match..

Here is a photo of it's underside..

<a href="http://s857.photobucket.com/albums/ab139/cosmo48045/?action=view&current=snail2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab139/cosmo48045/snail2.jpg" border="0" alt="snail2"></a>

Thanks in advance for the help...

 

[gtstylez87]

That is a olive snail and they are carnivorous. They kill by stabbing their prey with a venomous dart. if i remember correctly for marine bio class i think they are related to cone snails.

 

[Omega_rains]

Awesome - thank you! I'M glad I bought these - why the hell would the LFS be selling these? And listed as sand conch? My Melanurus Wrasse is laying on the bottom with a dime sized whole eaten through the side, Guess I know what did that now..

 

[pagojoe]

Yes, it's Oliva sayana, and as gt says, they are carnivorous. They aren't that closely related to Cone Snails, and they don't have the harpoon-like teeth or the venom like Conus species. They do have an anaesthetizing/paralyzing ingredient in their slime or saliva, though, and they grab and engulf their prey, suffocating it before they eat it. Cool snails, but probably best for a species tank.

http://www.jaxshells.org/0408uu.htm

Cheers,



Don