Ulimid
snails
Family
Eulimidae
updated
Aug 12
Where
seen?
These tiny white snails are sometimes seen on sea stars. Ulimid snails
are also found on other echinoderms such as sea cucumbers and sea
urchins.
Features: 0.1-0.5cm. Long white
conical shell. So far, these have been seen on Plain
sand star (Astropecten sp.) and on Common
sea star (Archaster typicus). Stuck on the upper side of
the sea star, sometimes in between the arms in the 'arm pit' of the
sea star. When not attached to a sea star, they may float on the water
surface, often forming 'rafts' sticking to one another.
What do they eat? These are parasitic
snails that feed on their host. Apparently, they stick their proboscis
through the body wall and suck on the host's body fluids. |
|
|
|
Laying eggs too? |
|
Ulimid
snails on Singapore shores
Familty
Eulimidae recorded for Singapore
from Tan Siong
Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary Checklist of The
Molluscs of Singapore.
| |
Melanella
aciculata
Melanella martinii
Niso hizenensis
Pyramidelloides miranda |
|
|
|
Neville Coleman’s Underwater Geographic Pty Ltd, Australia.144pp.