Donya An Id Please

[sorgan]

Some kind of gastropod, rasping mouthparts and a mantle that extends part way up a long shiny shell, very much like a cowry but thinner. The flesh is orange.

 

[woody88]

It's a snail mate!

 

[lewiss]

looks cool dude!!

 

[sorgan]

Lol I know it's s snail.... What I don't know is if it is-
Toxic
Coral eater
Fish eater
Invert eater
Just plain nasty.

 

[woody88]

Sorry! had to edit as it was rude, disgusting and perverted!

 

[lewiss]

What did you type Woody!?! PM me it!

 

[Donya]

Hmmm...hard to see some of the features I would usually lock onto for IDing, so I will have to start vague and narrow down from there. Does it look like it has a more-or-less symmetrical shell with a foot coming out right in the middle like a cowrie, or is it more typically coiled like a snail (having a visible spiral near the back somewhere)? Is there soft tissue creeping out to extend over the shell? The first pic looks very dove-snaily, but if the mantle is coming out to cover the shell than it would be some type of cowrie. That doesn't necessarily say whether it's good/bad yet but would put me at an easier starting point.

 

[sorgan]

Right there is no spiral and it looks more like a long skinny cowry, I have seem tissue extend over the shell a bit bit not all the way over. The tissue is orangey with White spots.

 

[Donya]

Somewhere in my head a small bell is ringing. Now I just have to dig through the horrendous pile of books and papers that has been accumulating all term to see if I can find the reference I want. Hopefully will have it narrowed down soon.

 

[Donya]

One more thing to check that requires grabbing it out of the tank and giving it a poke to make it retract: does the shell opening have teeth/ridges, and if so is it on both sides or only one?

If there are no teeth on only small teeth on one side of the opening, it's probably an Ovulid, which is a group I'm not too familiar with but that are in the iffy diet category (which includes gorgs and softies depending on the species). The elongated shape would suggest an Ovulid, but there is enough variation in the groups that the shell opening might be the better feature to look at. If there are small teeth/ridges on both sides of the opening then it's probably a Cypraeid. Small individuals are not always easy to ID, since (and I forgot this in my last post) some of them have striped juvenile forms that turn spotty as they grow. I also had one whose foot changed color as it grew, causing me much ID grief at the time. Fortunately most Cypraeids I am aware of are grazers/omnivores and not active predators of anything but the occasional small sponge or Tunicate. There are sporadic reports of people going "ahh my such and such cowrie ate my polyps!", but those cases are probably an act of desperation due to lack of sufficient other foods.

 

[sorgan]

Seems to have teeth on both sides and it certainly does have a mouth like a grazing snail.... Oh well innocent until proven guilty.