Baby Snail ID

  • Thread starter Thread starter EnterName
  • Start date Start date
  • Tagged users Tagged users None

EnterName

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 21, 2025
Messages
2,182
Reaction score
3,983
Location
Germany
What state or country do you live in
Other International
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I just received some Zoa frags today and found this little guy. First I was worried to have found a Sundial snail, but the pattern isn't quite right and the shape makes it look more like a nerite snail. I assume it's just a baby Checkered Nerite (Nerita tessellata), but before I put it into my tank I wanted to make sure.

It's roughly 5mm long (1/5 of an inch).

7f69c42b-125b-4aaf-a456-f1b047f8891d.jpg
0ae80d7e-07f4-42e0-8c60-3fa80ba6b6a5.jpg
 
Screenshot_20260616-024423_Google.jpg


Did an image search and a Tiger Cowrie showed up. Looks pretty close anyway.......
 
It does have the pattern of a tiger cowrie, but the shape and autonomy of the snail is a little different……. Maybe it is one of those snails that are nocturnal and very small until a certain size. I cannot remember the name of them though……
 
I just received some Zoa frags today and found this little guy. First I was worried to have found a Sundial snail, but the pattern isn't quite right and the shape makes it look more like a nerite snail. I assume it's just a baby Checkered Nerite (Nerita tessellata), but before I put it into my tank I wanted to make sure.

It's roughly 5mm long (1/5 of an inch).

7f69c42b-125b-4aaf-a456-f1b047f8891d.jpg
0ae80d7e-07f4-42e0-8c60-3fa80ba6b6a5.jpg
I'm late, but Checkered Nerite or relative would be my guess too; also, for telling if you have a Sundial Snail or not:
Sundial snails prey on cnidarians like corals and anemones, but they do look fairly similar to Colloniid snails (and some others from the Trochoidea superfamily). That said, aside from their operculums which are a highly distinctive feature (the "horn"/"cone"/"rattlesnake rattle" shaped thing they close the entrance to their shells with - see the links below for examples), these are some other ways to differentiate them:
Also, for what it's worth, sundial snails (taxonomic family Architectonicidae) -even the more plain ones - are typically very, very ornate with their shell color, color pattern, shape, texture, etc. Many of them also basically have a flat, disk-like shell, and the ones that don't typically have shells that go basically straight up with their heads tucked in pretty far under their shells
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/mollusca/gastropoda/architectonicidae/architectonicidae.htmhttps://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=5245201#post5245201
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

WHEN PLANNING CORAL PLACEMENT, WHAT USUALLY WINS? THE FUTURE COLONY, OR THE NEXT FRAG?

  • I leave plenty of open space for large future colonies

    Votes: 3 21.4%
  • I plan for growth...but occasionally squeeze coral into tight spaces

    Votes: 5 35.7%
  • I try to balance future growth with variety now

    Votes: 4 28.6%
  • I fit in as many frags as I reasonably can

    Votes: 3 21.4%
  • One more frag always wins! Future me can solve the problem...

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • It depends on the coral and how quickly it grows

    Votes: 1 7.1%
  • I squeeze 'em in! Survival of the fittest, baby!!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I’m already out of room, so apparently we know my answer...

    Votes: 1 7.1%
Back
Top
Home
Post thread…
Market
What's new