shelled snails text index | photo index
Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda
Tiny under-a-stone top shell snail
Euchelus sp.*
Family Chilodontidae
updated Jul 2020
Where seen?This tiny snail is often seen in small groups under stones on some of our shores. They were previously placed in Family Trochidae.

Features: 1-1.5cm. Shell globular with fine ribs and fine hairs. Shell opening has shiny mother of pearl and is ribbed. Colours black, greyish, dark red or orange. Operculum thin, made of a horn-like material, yellow or orange. Body pale, edge of the mantle fringed with tentacles. Small foot pale on the underside, fine black stripes on the upperside. A pair of long tentacles at the head.

Several species listed for Singapore may look like this. These include Euchelus asper, Euchelus atratus and Euchelus quadricarinatus. On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display.

Changi, Dec 10

Cyrene Reef, May 12


Labrador, Mar 05

Lazarus, Aug 12

Chek Jawa, May 05

*Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display.

Tiny under-a-stone top shell snails on Singapore shores
On wildsingapore flickr

Other sightings on Singapore shores


Punggol, Jan 13
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on flickr.


East Coast Park, Jun 11
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on flickr.

East Coast Park (B), Jun 21
Photo shared by Vincent Choo on facebook.


Tuas, Jun 15
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on facebook.

Terumbu Pempang Tengah, May 21
Photo shared by Vincent Choo on facebook.


Sentosa Tg. Rimau, Nov 20
Photo shared by Vincent Choo on facebook.

Pulau Semakau East, Jan 16
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on facebook.

Family Chilodontidae recorded for Singapore
from Tan Siong Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary Checklist of The Molluscs of Singapore.
in red are those listed among the threatened animals of Singapore from Davison, G.W. H. and P. K. L. Ng and Ho Hua Chew, 2008. The Singapore Red Data Book: Threatened plants and animals of Singapore.
^from WORMS.

  ^Family Chilodontidae
  Euchelus sp. (Tiny under-a-stone top shell snail)
Euchelus asper
Euchelus atratus
Euchelus quadricarinatus=^Euchelus asper

Granata sulcifera

Hybochelus cancellatus

Pagodatrochus variabilis

Turcica maculata

References
  • Tan Siong Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary Checklist of The Molluscs of Singapore (pdf), Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore.
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