Pago, got a snail ID for ya :)

[JokerGirl]

Just picked this guy off my hammer coral when I went to feed my sun coral.

Sorry for the bad lighting, was getting ready for bed.

[JokerGirl]

[pagojoe]

Hi JokerGirl,

Your snail is Euchelus atratus, which means "Attractive Euchelus," and it's pretty alright. (Hardy's page uses the common name "Blackish Margarite." ) It's historically been considered to belong to the trochid family, but it's been recently moved to the family Chilodontidae. I presume it's a vegetarian, but I have found clusters of them under rocks that were encrusted with sponge, and not much algae in sight. It certainly shouldn't be eating your hammer coral, in any case, and I'd bet it's reef safe. The operculum should look like a transparent amber disc, except for a large dark dot in the middle (while it's still attached to the animal...it's the animal's coloring showing through). Here's the link to Eddie Hardy's page, although it shows some shells that are probably related species and not Euchelus atratus:

http://www.gastropods.com/5/Shell_8265.html

Most of the shells on this page aren't black, but every one I've found that I could definitely ID as this species has been black, like yours.

Cheers,



Don

[JokerGirl]

Thanks Pago! Your ID is spot on!

It wasn't on the flesh of my hammer, but was crawling on the stalks of it. I wasn't sure so I pulled it off. It'll be going back in my tank now