Limpet??

Whatever it is I got it loose and the snail died about 2 minutes later. This thing was feeding on the snails shell or the snail through the shell.





These pics aren't very good but the 'thing' has a white foot and two tiny antanae. It's in one of my wifes desert dishes right now lol. Maybe sunlight will help me get a closer clear shot with my Kocrap point and shoot tomorrow.

 

It took a little bit to get it to come loose. At first I thought I'd made a mistake but if I had a better camera I could get a pic of the foot and head of the little thing folding up like a flipped snail trying to right itself.

 

Maybe pogojoe can come by and help with the ID. I had one of these on a snail once and it ans the snail lived a pretty long time. If i remember correctly, I believe they are a snail parasite of some kind and only harmful to the snail they are on, but usually the snails will host them for a very long time. I don't believe they have any chance of reproducing in the tank.

Hopefully someone like pogojoe can correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I've been systematically removing the astraedozers and putting them in the fuge anyway. So far that is the only one I've seen with anything attached.

 

lol astrea dozers

 

So, I think it may be a limpet after all... look up "Sabia conica" these tend to live on snails, feed off of the snail/ snail feces and leave deep scars on the shell of the host.

I'm pretty sure that as long as they stay attached, the host and limpet can remain symbiotic for quite some time.

does it look kinda like this:


???

 

Check out Hipponicid gastropods. That looks like what I found on my astrea. The little snail underneath doesn't really extend out of the shell surround on mine. He just kind of hangs out. Completely harmless as far as I've found.

 

FWIW, Hipponicid gastropods are a type of Sabia, as I mentioned before...

 

Didn't know, was just offering up info I'd read...

 

That's exactly it man! well now I know thanks for the id and thank you all for the input.;D Look like I have to fire up "old sparky" lol.