Carnivorous thorny snail????

This snail is located in my avatar dead center in the sandbed. He is about 5 inches long and his shell looks like a conch shell with rather large spikes. Now I have googled for the last 2 hours trying to find this snail and have had no luck. My Lfs said it came in as a carnivorous thorny snail. Any ideas as to where else I can look this guy up?

 

you need pagojoe to the rescue!!

 

Heres a link pluss my guess at that lil critter...
Name = Chicoreus (Triplex) insularum

Link= Family Muricidae, Murex Shells


If you read the paragraph on this family of Snail they use a acid to burn through the shell to eat there prey.. Hope this helps...



Good Luck...!!!

 

I would have to say salsalito that kinda looks like it. thanks a bunch. Guess I will make sure not to handle it.lol Anybody else seen one of these critters?

 

Salsalito has it narrowed to genus, but it won't be C. insularum because that species is endemic to Hawaii, and they don't export snails for the aquarium hobby (plus the spire isn't quite tall enough, and they max at about four inches in length). It could be one of several species which are common in the Pacific. I might be able to tell which one for sure if I could see the aperture, but I'd probably have to clean the encrustations off. The size, short spire, and strong shoulder spines make me think it's most likely Chicoreus ramosus. Most of the ones you see on the net aren't as frilly as yours, although I have one in front of me that is. It's about twelve inches long, which is big, and unusual because the frilly ones are mostly juveniles. The less frilly ones come from active water. The super-frilly shells only grow that way in a sheltered environment without much wave action.

I tried to find a good pic of a frilly one on the net, but didn't find any great pics. I did learn that about half the pics of "Chicoreus ramosus" that show up on Google image search are other species, though.

Here's a fairly frilly one, although it's an aberrant color:

agrandissement_Chicoreus ramosus

It's carnivorous, as advertised, and has a fairly broad diet for a snail.

Cheers,



Don

 

I was so close....!! Hahahaha

 

+K for effort and time researching

 

Well, narrowing down to genus level is great, I'd K+ you again too except that it won't let me til I K+ someone else, LOL.

 

Wow, great leg work. You're awesome at identification!!!

 

Well i have a lot of time on my hands due to i have been in the hospital supporting the wife .. So when she's asleep i start to digg around.. As of today been here for one month...My gosh to long...


Ps. look in the bucket for details.... ... Titled the Day when the water Breaks..

I dont want this ID thread being tossed into the bucket..



Good Luck..!!