Snail ID

[Surfzone]

I have these snails breeding in my tank. The best ID I have for them is a nano turbo snails of some kind. They get no larger than a quarter, and they eat algae.

 

[pagojoe]

You're probably right about your snails being Turbo species, but I can't ID them to the species level. If you had an idea of their origin, and a good pic of the operculum, you could narrow it down. They look quite similar to Turbo bruneus, but that's a fairly uncommon species. Compare your snails to these pics:

http://www.gastropods.com/Taxon_pages/TN_Family_TURBINIDAE_TURBININAE.html

Cheers,



Don

 

[Surfzone]

I found an ID for it they are Turbo Marmarostoma haynesi here's a link http://www.gastropods.com/8/Shell_6838.html

 

[pagojoe]

Yeah, I saw that species, and agree it looks very much like yours. Only problem is that they are found in New Caledonia and Australia, neither of which exports live rock or live inverts. That species also looks very much like Turbo argyrostomus, one of the most common hitchhiker turbans from the Indo-Pacific, but T. argyrostomus usually has a lower spire (the shell isn't as tall). Turbo chrysostomus may look very much like yours, and is also a common hitchhiker from Tonga, but if it's that species it should have a gold aperture. The heavily-corded sculpture on your shells really isn't typical of either of these. Turbo gruneri looks very similar, but again, it's a cold-water species so that shouldn't be it.

Cheers,



Don