ID this freebie from TFW Please

[treesprite]

Tropical Fish World let me have this snail for free, species unknown so I'm supposed to find out and let him know.

 

The picture doesn't really show the color contrast very well - it's a very definate pattern with a medium tan background and slanted black stripes (back color looks darker in picture). It appears to be some sort of nassarius, is about the size of a grown Tonga, but all the Tongas I've seen are very light coloration without this stripe pattern.

 

I put it in my refugium - didn't want to risk a dangerous snail in the tank.

Edited September 17, 2009 by treesprite

[Sugar Magnolia]

I just got as few Tongan nass snails from BRK that are the same color. I suspect it's just a color variant. I have some of the tan ones as well.

[treesprite]

I just got as few Tongan nass snails from BRK that are the same color. I suspect it's just a color variant. I have some of the tan ones as well.

 

I HOPE that's what it is - there were a few others that I would go back and buy if that's the case (I was going to pay for this one, but Jim told me I could have it no charge - very nice shop owner). I just wouldn't want to find out that they are predatory like the Illyss(?spelling) ones which I don't think get this big.

[L8 2 RISE]

may be a whelk.

[treesprite]

Looks as though all nassarius snails are actually whelks:

"With the exception of one group, whelks are not animals that are, or should be, welcome in a normal reef aquarium. The exceptional whelks that do well in reef aquaria, and which are good neighbors to all animals in the reef tank, are the nassariids. These animals, mostly in the genus Nassarius, but also including a few other small genera, are typical whelks in all regards except their diets. " (Came from here: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-11/rs/index.php)

 

Here's an interesting reference: http://www.gastropods.com/Taxon_pages/TN_F...SSARIINAE.shtml

[Jan]

It looks like a Common Northern ***** Shell (Lacuna variegata)

 

You'll find pics of them in these links

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...sa%3DN%26um%3D1

 

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...sa%3DN%26um%3D1

[treesprite]

The markings/coloring is wrong. This has as the top of it 2 black rings, but on the body has wide free-standing diagonal black bars that look like paintbrush strokes (not joined to other black markings on the ends). It's a very nice looking snail when looked at while in the water, I just couldn't get a picture of it because it vanished as soon as I put it in the refugium.

[zygote2k]

It's a Mysterious Whelkus from the Phillipines.