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FAQs about Limpet Snails, Acmaeidae,
Fissurellidae and more,
Scutus, Stomatella
Related Articles: Gastropods, Sea Slugs, Mollusks, Abalone,
Related FAQs:
Limpets 1, Limpets 2, Limpets 3, Limpets
4, & Limpet ID 2, Limpet Behavior, Limpet Compatibility, Limpet Selection, Limpet Systems, Limpet Feeding, Limpet Disease, Limpet Reproduction, & Marine Snails 1, Marine Snails 2, Marine Snails 3, Marine Snails 4, Snail ID 1, Snail
ID 2, Snail Behavior, Snail Selection, Snail Compatibility, Snail Systems, Snail Feeding, Snail Disease, Snail Reproduction, Mollusks, Sea
Slugs, Abalone,
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| Mystery visitor, ID Stomatella Snail -
02/11/2007 Hi, <Hi Sean, Mich with you today.> Ok,
first the flattery - the Conscientious Marine Aquarist has been a
huge help to me in getting started in this completely addictive,
humbling, and bankrupting hobby <Hehee!> and I've just
bought Reef Invertebrates (online from the US, delivered to a
friend of mine in the US because they won't deliver to Canada,
and its not available anywhere up here!) <Oh NO!> Can't
wait to find out when you are going to be putting out additional
volumes. Any hints? <If I tell you, I'd have to kill
you.> Second, I noticed a snail that I have not seen before in
my tank (see attached), and while he seems to be harmless enough, I
thought I'd better check. Is this a Stomatellid?
<Yes! A happy addition!> My tank is a 46g, going
on about 2.5 years old, with live rock, a couple of clowns, 1 evil
"other-fish-hating" <Hehee!> Blue Devil Damsel, and
some crabs. As my tank matures, is the chance of new members to the
community just popping up something to be expected?
<Happens!> Thanks! <Welcome! -Mich>
Stouffville, ON |
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| Is this a snail? ID Stomatella Snails, Cont'd
- 02/11/2007 You guys do a great service to all of us
hobbyists. <Glad you think
so! Thanks!> Quick question, from these pics do these
little guys look like snails? <Yes, they are
Stomatella Snails. Lucky you! A happy
addition!> They are white, with what looks like a half shell on
their backs, but doesn't nearly cover there whole
body. They also move very fast (20 inches in less than
30 seconds.) They have appeared in ,add quantity,
(probably around 30-40 of them in my 55 gallon tank)
Are they good to have? <Yes!> Will they bother
anything? <No! Hopefully they will continue to
reproduce in your tank!> Thanks again guys!!!!
<Welcome! -Mich> |
| The Incredible (Mr.) Limpet 2/24/06 I've
recently noticed this small oval something in my 55 gal reef
tank. It is green in color and comes to a point in the
center, almost like a mountain. It typically stays in
the same spot, but I recently noticed it moving
about. I've looked over your website to try to find
something that looks similar, but no luck. Any help would be
appreciated. <An archaeogastropod... of benefit. Bob
Fenner> |
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| Snail ID - 3/27/07 Hello everyone. <Hey
Elaine, JustinN with you today.> Can you please tell
me what this is? <I'll give it a shot, for sure!> Sorry
the photo's are not good I am new to cameras. <No
worries> I found this thing in my small cube reef tank. I have
attached quite a few photos because he looks so different in shape
in 1 photo to another. Only way to describe him is he looks like a
slug with a hump and 2 antennas. On 1 photo he looks like a torpedo
shape but on the other he seems to have a slug looking appearance.
He is quite rough looking and stone in colour with a hint of green
on his back. Is he safe to leave in my reef tank or dose he need to
go? If he is safe what do I feed him on? Any advice is
much appreciated thanks for your time. Elaine <Say
hello to your new Stomatella varia snail, my friend! These are very
common hitchhikers on live rock, beneficial detritivores, happily
munching away on your wastes and algae! No supplemental feeding is
necessary, nor concern. He will be a perfect citizen, and may even
produce a few more friends! -JustinN> |
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| Re: Snail ID 3/27/07 Justin thanks ever so
much for the reply I am so glad he can stay. By the way I think I
have 3 of them so hopefully they can all become buddies.
now I can get back to enjoying watching my tank instead of worrying
about these things. Ugly though they are. Thanks again
Elaine <Anytime, Elaine. This is what we're here for, and
we're glad to help! -JustinN> |
| Flatworm or Nudibranch? I.D. please I
posted this guy after I found him clinging to the underside of my
hammer coral. He's about an inch or so long, 1/2 an inch wide,
and about 4-5 mm thick. I've looked on the net and books for an
I.D. but thought maybe you guys could help out. Here's a link
to where I posted a pic of this fella. Thanks, Mike <Mmm, is a
Stomatella... a beneficial mollusk... as others have already
pointed out. Bob Fenner> |
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| Over Population of Unknown Origins 9/28/05 Bob,
<Mark> I've been looking thru the FAQ's and Articles
for a "snail" that is basically multiplying like rabbits
in my tank. <Surprised you missed this one> I've attached
a photograph, albeit a poor one, of one of these
things. I've been unable to find anything close to
this on the site. They seem harmless and are eating
algae and the "gunk" on the glass. It appears
to have a shell but it's not like a "normal"
snail. I looked at the slugs and this doesn't fit
there either. It may be some sort of abalone but it didn't
quite fit the description or pictures here either. Not
really sure what to make of it but it really reproduces
fast. I have hundreds of the little guys in my tank and
a couple of big ones (assume mom and dad). The largest
is probably a 3/4" long and they are brown with a mostly brown
shell. <Looks like a Stomatellid to me... plug this family name
into Google/WWM> They really seem to be exploding in population
while my tank goes fallow. I'm trying to slay Crypt the dragon.
<Heee!> I'm winning the battle
slowly. I don't think that any of the fish I have
were keeping the population down. I think these guys were in the
live rock and were so small I didn't see them until they got
big. LR was labeled Marshall Island at the
LFS. It's beautiful rock with lots of purple and red
in it. There were only 2 of the little buggers so I
didn't really think anything of it. They were kind
of cool to watch. Several months later and there are
hundreds of little ones. At some point the population boom has to
slow down or I'm going to have to start removing them.
<Likely you can sell them!> I know you will know what they
are. I'm sure they are very common if I've got
em. They sure don't look very exotic. Mark <Are
useful algae eaters... about as "reef safe" as gastropods
come. Bob Fenner> |
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Re: Over Population of Unknown Origins Bob,
<Mark> Thanks for the reply. The difficulty in
finding something like this is not being smart enough to know
where to start. Even after having the starting point
of Stomatella It took a bit to find the matching
picture Found it here, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/snailidfaq5.htm.
I was looking in the wrong spot before. This is a very
good match to what I have but the one in this picture is better
looking, better color. <Yes> Sell them, now you're
talkin. How much are these things
worth? I'll have to ask the LFS If they want any.
<Mmm, I'd look about locally... take some to your bigger
shops that are privately owned/managed... and to the fish
clubs... trade will get you far more than cash sales...>
Thanks again, mystery solved Mark <Welcome. Bob Fenner>
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| Mollusk ID - Limpet 1/7/03 Hi Guys
and Gals, <Whassup G-money?> This thing appeared
the other day from my live rock. It's like a white hovercraft
with a blowhole in the center. <its a keyhole limpet
(Mollusk... "snail" so to speak)> I was thinking
some kind of worm maybe, but really don't have a clue.
<false on the former, true on the latter <G>> It
is not very flat. Read through Reef Invertebrates, but nothing
looked similar. <look again my friend... page 202, the pic
labeled Acmaea. Then look to the text for info on Limpets>
It's about 3/4" long. Any guesses? <limpets are
relatively harmless although not entirely reef safe (may eat
coralline algae... other desirable benthic growths... sometimes
coral tissue> Thanks, and thinks for all the terrific help
you guys provide. Jim P. <with kind regards,
Anthony> |
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ID Snail/Slug ?? (with pictures) 4/6/04 Hello
crew, These two guys came with two soft corals I recently picked
up. I noticed them just before putting the pieces in my tank so I
took them off and have been trying to figure out if they are
friend or foe. My tank has all soft corals (polyps, pulsing
xenia, zoos etc) <Good to be cautious! Unknown hitch
hikers are a good reason to quarantine.> One has a green
"hump"/shell on his back and the other has a hump but
it is not as green. Another one was able to get in my tank and I
have yet to find him/her. <Your pic is a bit fuzzy, but
the critter is almost certainly Stomatella Varia (AKA "cap
snail"). If you do a Google search, you should be able to
find a very good pic to compare to.> Good or Bad?
<One of the very best critters to have in your tank, IMO. They
are nighttime algae grazers, harmless to all other animals in in
many tank they are prolific spawners that provide a lot of coral
food.> Thanks again for all your help.
<It's always a pleasure!>
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| Orange Frilly Limpet - Lucapina aegis Can
you ID this? <yep> It's in a reef tank. Is it bad or good
, Friend or foe.. <foe... as most limpets ultimately are. They
are somewhat indiscriminate feeders on benthic life forms. The
brighter colors are usually a giveaway (noxious and freely
predating on desirable reef life - perhaps corals or sponges). Its
best to remove this species and a tank without reef invertebrates.
Best regards, Anthony> |
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Unknown Critter 12/9/03 Hey there crew I got a problem
here. about a month ago I noticed a odd looking creature on my
LR. It is a snail like creature, it has a half shell on its back
which is pink and white, it moves pretty fast moving around like
a slug, <sounds like a Stomatellid... harmless as we know>
now the weird part is its feeding mechanism, it looks just like a
elephants trunk it feeds just like a vacuum cleaner its trunk is
attached to the rock with another type of mechanism going up and
down inside the trunk. <hmmm... perhaps not a Stomatellid if
it has a proboscis> The shell is very small compared to the
body which when it is on the move is almost a inch and a half in
length. I wasn't to concerned until as of late because now it
is growing pretty quickly and spots of my coralline are bare (not
bleached) I believe it is eating the coralline because the
patches that are missing are circular in appearance. <not the
case here... a proboscis on a snail/gastropod is not
"designed" to rasp coralline algae... instead look for
another grazer (limpet, urchin) with short sturdy mouthparts
(radula) to do this job> I will attach a couple pics of the
monster if you could please identify him and if I should remove
him or be looking for another culprit. <Yikes... these pics or
over 5K kb and clogging our mailbox, mate. What's worse is
that they are not clear at all. Please do resize all pics to
small web-sized images (a few tens to a mere couple hundred kb
max) and also please fill the frame with the subject (the snail
is tiny here)> The other tank mates include 3 pepp shimp,1
Blood red cleaner,15 or so blue leg hermits,3 star shell snails
and 10-15 Nass. snails. The only corals in the tank are a small
frag of xenia and a small frogspawn which incidentally just
started shrinking and spit out some brownish material (should I
be concerned about this) <could simply be digestion or (worse)
zooxanthellae expulsion if stressed> also a small false
percula clown. One last thing I believe I spotted a mantis shrimp
also I was feeding on day and a very small shrimp came flying out
of a small piece of grape macro and snatched a piece of flake. He
was brown in color and appeared to look a lot like a mantis
shrimp. <most mantis are small smasher species and are fairly
harmless... some do not exceed 1" by much as adults and are
very harmless in fact. Please read through our archives/Reef
Invert book to learn the diffs between smashers and spearers and
species IDs> Well sorry for the book I wrote here but your
help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Jeremy from buffalo
<wish I could have been more help... do send a better pic if
you can. Best regards, Anthony>
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Limpets Hi everyone , I have a tank full of small copepods
that I know are beneficial. <indeed... I myself am Cuckoo for
Copepods> But , and their is always a but, I have an unknown
crustacean that I want to try to identify . <his name is Joey...
Joey bag-O-doughnuts> This thing has a hard outer shell that looks
like the hats that the Vietnamese people wear , almost to the letter .
<a "Limpet" species... do use that name in a keyword
search of the web... few pics posted yet on WWM of this critter. Common
though> They are oval in shape , about a quarter inch in length
,have a white coloring and look like a pointed hat . Any ideas ?
P.S. Sorry about the ethnic description , but its the only
thing I could think of that looked like these things . My LFS said they
were Lipids Rich <no worries... understood and clear. And I
don't think Vietnam will be calling for an apology... they love
those little hats too. Your silly little "snail" is a Limpet
dude. Best regards, Anthony>
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Unknown Snail? Hi Bob and Gang, I browse your web site
regularly and I find it very informative. I was wondering if you
could tell me what kind of snail (I think) this is? Is it harmful
to anything? <No> What does it eat? <Microalgae and life
associated with them> Should I leave it in my tank?
<Yes> Thanks, John ps. You Can use these pictures if you
want to. <Thank you. This is some sort of limpet (as in the
incredible Mr.), an Archaeogastropods mollusk. Please see
WetWebMedia.com (the Google search tool on the homepage) re. Bob
Fenner>
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Nemo-aka the Blue Tang, and Gary the Stomatella Howdy again,
fellow Wetheads! I have a healthy, one-year-old 20-gallon
reef tank into which I will introduce (after quarantine) a small
juvenile Regal/Pacific Blue Tang (yes, my kids insisted on their own
"Dory" fish after seeing previews of "Finding
Nemo"). I've been studying up on the Blue Tang's
weaknesses, such as Ick, and hazards (tailhooks!), and I feel ready for
the new arrival.<good to hear> The tank's
inhabitants (2 little clownfish, a ravenous but friendly Royal
Pseudochromis, candy-cane coral, a few small brown/green mushrooms,
some Montipora digitata, many scarlet hermits,
Astraea+Cerith+Nassarius+Trochus snails, copepods, small worms, mucho
coralline algae, LR+LS, etc) will relocate with the Tang into a planned
60-gallon tank very soon,<this tang will need this tank soon :)>
and when the Tang acts cramped in the 60-gallon, we'll start an
even larger tank.<good> Meanwhile I need to modify the ecosystem
in the existing 20-gallon tank so that tang-edible macroalgae has a
better chance at growing "a little," while not overwhelming
the corals and coralline algae.<agreed> Obviously,
I'm only counting on the tank itself to provide a tiny portion of
the Tang's algae diet, but I'd like to have him/her at least
enjoy a little more macroalgae decor to nibble upon between real meals.
I plan to return a few of my larger snails to the Local Fish Store. --
First question - Does this Tang REALLY eat "bubble algae"
(esp. Valonia)?<have never seen this species eat bubble algae...and
haven't read about it either> Since I've sworn off
bubble-munching Mithrax crabs (too omnidestructive), I'd love for
the Tang to relieve me of my occasional bubble-scratching
responsibilities.<will probably not eat bubble algae> -- Second
question - Is there anything which conveniently dines on the STOMAT
ELLA VARIA (sporty little half-snails!),<well I was thinking more
towards a wrasse from the genus Pseudocheilinus, I know they eat
can/will eat hermit crabs-but they might eat helpful creatures as
well> which have been a very helpful ally against algae in my tank
but now are too numerous (and keep everything so clean that the larger
algae-seeking snails suffer)? This landscape will seem too barren to
the Tang. But my instinct is that any carnivore nasty enough to eat
Stoma Ella might also attack....corals? fish? my fingers? My hope is
that you folks know of a cute, tiny, highly-specialized mantis shrimp
(can I ask for iridescent-red?) or whatever that chews Stoma Ella yet
eschews other stuff. Fantasy, right? <A mantis shrimp will
eventually consume ALL of your small fish and your little
crustaceans/snails too> By the way, one additional
REALLY irritating aspect of having Stomatella in your tank is that
their low-rider bodies occasionally find their way through even the
narrow slots in pump-intakes; the sound made by Stomatellids
"paper shells" when they suddenly seize up a miniature pump
impeller is "schwing" (as in the movie "Wayne's
World"). Easy to fix but a pain. Concerning
Stomatella, I found questions by "C" from Pittsburgh, PA,
(and Anthony Calfo's answers) in.... http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algcontfaq3.htm
....and I'd like to reinforce Anthony's comment
about this creature's "highly variable color." I started
with maybe 3 or 4 TINY Stomatella (LR hitchhikers), soon had a
population boom which subsided, and now there's seven or eight
color/pattern variations, each apparently tuned to different LR
surroundings. Not exactly crowd-pleasers, but they zip around like
crazy, especially when the lights go out. On that note, goodnight and
MANY thanks!<your welcome, I really don't believe there is a
fish that specializes on Stoma Ella so it would be risking the lives of
the other invertebrates in your aquarium, IanB> Bruce Mewhinney
Stomatella Questions Ah, the reference I had read about Tangs
eating(?) bubble algae was in a WWM page....<well have been around
this species of fish for about 5 years now and have never seen them
even touch bubble algae, Bob has been around these fish longer so he
might be right.> http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tangfaqs.htm
....in which Bob Fenner replies to a reader ("Tangs
Eating Bubble Algae"). Having said that, I haven't seen my
newly-arrived Pacific Blue Tang touching MY bubble algae yet (I'm
patient). But he/she is already happily chowing on sprigs of Red
Gracilaria algae on a suction-cup clip; also flake algae etc.<normal
for them to eat macro algae (softer easier to pick on, etc, bubble
algae is to hard for one of those little 1-2" hippo tangs to
eat> Back on topic -- Regarding possible predators upon the
Stomatella varia snails, I did some subsequent search-engine sleuthing
and came up with a few specifics....http://www.mindspear.com/reef/detrivore.htm
["cleaner shrimp" eating smaller
Stomatella?]<re: my other email> http://www.reeflounge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4267
[peppermint shrimp "cleaned out" tankful of
Stomatella]<maybe you should try them> For now I'm going to
try peppermint shrimp (not banded coral shrimp), and in future maybe a
few of the wrasses as you suggest, or even arrow crabs (in a much
larger tank).<good luck with Stomatella control, IanB> Thanks
again for help! Bruce Mewhinney
Snail id: Stomatella species "Paper Shell snail"
6/11/03 Howdy oh Wet ones! <not touching that one with a ten
foot pole> I have found a bunch of snails in my tank, a type I have
never seen before. I have not be able to get a good picture
of one yet, but I will describe it to you to see if it rings any
bells. It really looks like a land based slug, about 3/4
inch for the biggest one, maybe a little less. It is a light
speckled sandy color. The strange thing about it is that the
shell is only about 1/3 the length of the whole slug looking body, and
it matches the body color and pattern pretty closely, so it was hard to
even see the shell. It is a rather flat shell, almost like
an abalone shell. <the last observation is the
giveaway... you have a Stomatella snail species. Do use that genus name
for a better web search. They are wonderful algae grazing snails... as
harmless and reef-safe as it gets> It really looks like it has a
great big tail because the shell is so small. Now looking
through the WWM site, I did not see any pictures of a snail that
resembles it. Does it sound like anything you have heard of
or seen before? I just want to make sure it is not a
problem. It cruises around the live rock like any other
snail, but ya never no.... Thanks, Paul <just enjoy them and watch
that S car Go! Kindly, Anthony
Black limpet snail- Scutus sp Hi: I wonder if you
can help me with identification of this new creature in my
reef. The reef is a year old but new things keep popping
up. This guy looks like a leach but is about 4 inches in
length and about 2 inches wide and relatively flat. He comes
out at night. The picture is of poor quality but may
help. He is black and has "frilly"
edges. I blasted him with a gush of water from the turkey
baster and he slid back into the reef, so he isn't very
shy. Is he harmless? Thanks, Jim <your
creature is a mollusk of the genus Scutus (almost started to sound
like Dr. Seuss rhyme with the alliteration of 3 of the last
5 words <G>). AKA Black Limpet, is a mostly desirable snail. It
may nibble on coral (of course, so do tangs and dwarf angels), but is
an otherwise excellent algae eater and breeds well in captivity.
Perfect for soft coral tanks... less so for LPS coral displays. Best
regards, Anthony>
Accidental mollusk Hi Bob, Thanks for the answers
to my previous questions. Today during my weekly maintenance I
noticed somebody new and was wondering if he's bad news. It is
some sort of brown slug, 23 mm long, with a 12 mm shell on his
head. It is the kind of shell I've seen thousands of times on
Southern California beaches but always thought it was one half of
a little clam. It is a shallow (almost flat) triangular
shape shell. He was chewing around the base of some Halimeda and
squirting out clouds of white from his mouth area several times
for no apparent reason. I have him sequestered in my quarantine
tank until I hear from you. Should he stay or should he go? I am
planning to add one or two "beginner" soft corals in the
near future if that matters. Thanks, Brian Battles <I
say "stay"... almost feel like a latter day Caesar with my
thumb up! This is likely some sort of Limpet (as in the Incredible
Mr.), and I know what you mean re the many Acmaea along the coast (I
live in San Diego)... these are very beneficial creatures to have in a
reef tank... are microphagous herbivores that greatly aid in
filamentous/pest algae control. Count yourself lucky and enjoy
it/hopefully "them". Bob Fenner, By Bob Fenner,
www.wetwebmedia.com>
Scutus antipodes For the past 6 months I
have been searching for the identity of a sea slug that
piggy-backed on some live Fiji rock. I think I now know what he is:
Scutus antipodes. Since I spotted the first one I now have 3 and
they are an amazing critter to watch! Check out the attached
pictures that I borrowed from another site. <Very nice> They
seem reef safe, are they algae eaters? <Yes... and can grow to
15 cm... six inches!> Thanks,
Jeff
<Bob Fenner> |
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Borrowed pix...
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