Good Snail? Bad Snail? ID...

[ylmaya]

Sorry this pic is so blurry but I figured it at least shows the general shape- this little guy is a hitchiker... Here is a description

1/2 inch long
Conch like shell
black and white speckled
has a proboscus "trunk" type thing that pokes out as he moves

Is he OK or should I oust him?

[ylmaya]

sorry = lets try the pic again....

[asmith]

I can't really tell from the picture, but is sounds like it could be a dog welk. They eat clams. I would wait for other opinions before tossing it, but don't let it out of your sight. If it is one of the welks, you will need to get it out of the tank ASAP. They multiply faster than rabbits.

Andrew

[ylmaya]

I think I might just get rid of it - it seems that the conical snails are mostly bad.....right now I have him in a paper cup. I'll wait for a couple more replies before I toss 'im. THANKS!

[Mrs Smith]

I don't think it's a dog whelk - at least not like the ones we had/have. They were all black with a horizontal splash of red and white.

Might just be a nassarius snail (although the nassarius family includes the dogwhelks...)

Any way to get a clearer pic? Without it, ID is really tough.

Danielle

[ylmaya]

I think I found a picture of it on the web.....it is called Morula moarginalba and is a type of Whelk. the site I found it on says it is a predatory snail controlling barnacle population on rocky ledges.....since I would like to encourage barnacles - I think this guy is outta here!