snail id

[muhli]

i found this thing on my live rock today. im pretty sure its a snail because of the shell...
its a baby im sure of because of the still transparent shell with a pint tint to it and some blackish gray looking thing underneath it.
im guessing its a hitchhiker that came as an egg.
is it a baby astraea snail? you cant really see it in the picture but it has a spiral shaped shell with a pointy thing at the end.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Your pic is just too small to see clearly. Try taking a few more shots, maybe cropping them in closer too.

 

[pagojoe]

Looks like a juvenile hipponicid, maybe Cheilea equestris, considering the curved apex. Might just be how I'm interpreting the shell shape, though. Look at the top shell pic in the link below:

http://www.gastropods.com/2/Shell_2612.shtml

Does your shell look like the top 20% of that shell on the top left? It's not a harmful snail, in any case.

Cheers,



Don

 

[muhli]

the shell seems to be going in a spiral from the base, eventually going to a really pointy end. its not very long compared to the snails "supposed body"
this creature hasn't moved in the last 10 hours, should i assume its dead?

 

[pagojoe]

It doesn't look dead to me, but if it's extended and not moving, it might be. If you want to give us a better shot at ID'ing it, take it out of the tank and take a few pics in a dish of water.

Cheers,



Don

 

[muhli]

it hasn't moved for 2 days now...im pretty sure its dead now. =[